OCTOBER 1969 Nav-Pers-0 NUMBER 633 VICE ADMIRALCHARLES K

1969

THE BUREAUOF NAVAL PERSONNEL CAREER PUBLICATION

OCTOBER 1969 Nav-Pers-0 NUMBER 633 VICE ADMIRALCHARLES K. DUNCAN, USN TheChief of Naval Personnel REARADMIRAL D. H. GUINN, USN TheDeputy Chief of NavalPersonnel CAPTAIN H. W. HALL,JR., USN AssistantChief for MoraleServices TABLE OF CONTENTS Features MSTS Far East: "WeDeliver" ...... 2 Skilak:Eskimo in Vietnam ...... 5 Standing Naval Force, Atlantic-NATO's Multi-NationNavy ...... 6 Huntingfor Waterspouts ...... 11 The Frogmen Meet the Spacemen ...... 12 The Certified Sailor and His Certificates ...... 16 Finishing School for Navy Chefs ...... 22 All-Navy Cartoon Contest Winners ...... 25 MovieCall ...... 28 Camp Concern at NTC Bainbridge ...... 32 Departments Today's Navy ...... 34 Letters to the Editor ...... 58

BulletinBoard Family Protection Plan for RetiredNavymen ...... 42 HomeownersAssistance Program ...... 45 Career CounselingProgram for Officers ...... 47 Here Are the Facts on Early Releases ...... 48 NESEP fora Scientific Education ...... 49 Choices Offered After Vietnam Tour ...... 50 HealthInsurance Following Separation ...... 51 Special Pay and Allowances ...... 52 Taffrail Talk ...... 64

John A. Oudine, Editor Associate Editors G. VernBlasdell, News DonAddor, Layout & Art AnnHanabury, Research GeraldWolff, Reserve

FRONTCOVER: Flight Deck PettyOfficer Dennis Boren super- viseshandling aircraft aboard amphibious assoult ship. Boren, an ABHl, isserving in USS Iwo Jima (LPH 2).

AT LEFT: Escort ship USS Albert Dovid (DE 1050) haselectrical cableswrapped around her hull as the ASW specialistis prepared for deperming.-Photo by PH3 Richard L. Klain, USN. MSTS FAR EAST- ”WE DELIVER”

ADDRESSED to the small group of sailors, the citation began,“For exceptionally meritorious logistical service to United States and Allied forces in the Re- public of Vietnam. . . . ’’ With the citation, signedby the Secretary of the Navy, was a blue, yellow, orange and green ribbon. It ranks 15th among America’s 67 military decorations- the Navy Unit Commendation. This specific award is notable in itself, but to MSTS personnel it has a special significance, because it marks the first time in the 20-year history of the Navy’s Mili- tary SeaTransportation Service that one of its units earned such an award. The award-winning command in the spotlight of the $47-million Far Eastern’ MSTS operations is the 110- man crew of the Military Sea TransportationService Office, Vietnam (MSTSOV). Captain HenryJ. Lyon recently succeeded Captain Louis K. Payne as the unit’s co. Sealifts to the Republic of Vietnam account for over 96 per cent of the logistics support of American forces and their allies. “In the faceof extremely difficult conditions, including attacks fromenemy forces at all locations along the Republic of Vietnam coastline,” the citation continued, “MSTSOV, through theable administration of MSTS shipping assets, contributedmaterially to the success of United States efforts in theRepublic of Vietnam.” Delivery of this cargo-some nine-millionmeasure- ment tons in 1968-does not end at the ports of Saigon, I)a Nang and CamRanh Ray. It ismoved further inland by tugs and barges, fulfilling in-country cargo requirements, as well as those of the major consumers at coastal ports. The tugsand barges of MSTSOV are escorted by river patrol boats as they transit the Viet

andan inspection for cleanliness of cargospaces is made. The MSTS office is constantly on the alert for un- expectedproblems that could slow downthe tightly scheduled merchant ships lifting urgent military cargo. Informationconcerning local conditions is one of the primary benefits gained from the nine strategically placed subordinate MSTS units located in the Republic of Vietnam. Data on local conditions relayed to MSTS Far East may affect determination of cargo bookings for specific ships.

FOR EXAMPLE, the depthof water alongside the loading pier at Vung Tau may be listed on charts and in marine publications as 20 feet, but an actual on-the- spot survey by a MSTSOV unit representative may show that it is really 26 feet. Similar information is obtained Above: Meredith Victory, a ship of WW II vintage, is under control concerningterminal facilities, waterfrontlabor prob- of MSTS. lems, pilotage and many other necessary port services. Other services may include a variety of jobs such as Cong-infested narrow canals and challenging riverways meeting all arriving MSTS ships, delivery and pickup of the swampy Mekong Delta. ofmail, assisting withrequired hospitalization of In addition to regular cargo, these tugs and barges crewmembersand diverting ships from port to port moved some 100,000 tons of rock each month during because of a lack of stowage space, or an immediate 1968 over these same routes to the Delta and to the requirement for ammunition elsewhere. I Corps Tactical Zone. A typical MSTS unitserving in the Republic of Vietnam, exclusive of the head office in Saigon,has TYPICAL of the office’s functions is preparation of a crew of about six Navymen: an officer in charge, as- movement reports on all MSTS-controlled ships ar- sistant officer in charge, radioman, boatswain’s mate, riving and departing ports in the Republic of Vietnam. yeoman andstorekeeper, All units andthe Saigon Harbor husbanding services are arranged, and customs office are assisted by MSTS-contracted civilian agen- clearancerequests are prepared and submitted. Pro- cies. jected activities of the ships are reported daily to Whether it be ammunition for the Navy SEAL teams Commander MSTS Far East in Yokohama, Japan, of in the Mekong Delta, tanks for the Marines near the which MSTSOV is a subordinate command. DMZ, rifles and C-rations for the Army in the jungles, Aregular check is madeaboard MSTS-controlled or many other necessary logistical items, their delivery ships to ensureproper stowage and fast turnaround. will be coordinated by the MSTS Office, Vietnam. Before departure of a ship, stowage plans are corrected -Story and photos by Chief Journalist Byron Whitehead, Jr., USN

USNS CorpusChristi Bay, originally built os o seaplanetender, nowprovides maintenance for Army helicopters. Right: Tank Lond- ingShip Luzerne County loads ammunition at Vung Tau far delivery to Mekong Delta.

ALL HANDS ALLKINDS of new equipment are being used in tropi- cal Vietnam, such as a shallow draft boat‘originally designed for use in Alaskan waters. It’s called the Skilak, Eskimo word for strange boat. But there’snot much that’s strangeabout the YFU. Itsconcept has been around since World War I1 when100-ton cargo craft were used widely. Today’s YFU is larger, with a 200-ton capacity. Of course, its habitability features are greatly improved. One thing that hasn’t changed over the years, however, is the workload demand on the small craft. ‘More than 80 per cent of the supplies delivered to outlying detachments in the northern I Corps is placed ashore from Skilaks like YFU 74, piloted by Chief Boatswain’s Mate Eddie Head. Ina typical month of cargohandling, Chief Head and his 10-man crew made 15 round trips, one every 48 hours, from the Naval Support Activity, Da Nang, to various armed forces detachments in the northern provinces. Trips to and from detachments, such as Hue, Tan My andChu Lai take about 24 hours;those to Cua Viet and Dong Ha, about 36 hours.

HE SIX-MILE journey up the Cua Viet River to Dong THa, is probably the most difficult, according to Chief Head, because of theever-present possibility of Viet Cong ambush from underbrush extending nearly every foot along the way. There is also the possibility of enemyrocket attack and command detonated mine attack. Forthe trip upriver, the craft’s three50-caliber machine guns are manned and flak jackets and steel helmetsare uniform for theday. The YFU, with its six-foot draft, is ideally suited to the shallowwaterways, many of which are span- of the fledgling nation's man-of-war.Their record When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was broughtfame to the American Navy. establisheda little morethan two decades ago, its Inmore recent times, warships of allied nations purpose was to provide its member nations with some have sailed together in two world wars. measure of collective securityagainst aggression in Europeor North America. BUT NOW, for the first time in modem history, a per- Today, its Standing Naval Force, Atlantic, is tasked manent, international naval force has been formed. with a variety of missions, not the least of which is to Itsname: Standing Naval Force, Atlantic. symbolize NATO's resolveto counter any threat to The primary functions of STANAVFORLANT are: first, NATO's freedom of the seas and seaborne communi- to provide a symbol of political and military solidarity cations which are vital to the existence of the Atlantic of the NATO alliance; and secondly, to provide a sea- community. going nucleus-a catalyst of naval security spanning The facts of geographymake NATO'sallies al- the AtlanticOcean from Europe to North America. most entirely reliant uponsea lines of communica-

Ships of NorthAtlontic Treaty OrgmirationStanding Naval Force Atlanticsteam Into Boston harbor.

property damage than tornadoes, they can be investi- gated with less danger to the researchers.

HUNTING FOR HE FLORIDA KEYS wereselected for this studybe- Tcause of the frequency with which waterspouts oc- cur in the area and availability of ground support from an observing network. WATERSPOUTS When military pilots report sighting a waterspout, itsaccurate positionis relayedto theWeather Bu- reau at Key West International Airport.ESSA researchers switchon an automatic camera to take pictures DID YOU KNOW that waterspoutsfrequently leave a -one every 15 seconds-of the weather radar’s scope. wake in the water, the same as those left by small Thesepictures are studiedto find some clue to boats? the waterspout’s formation. So far, the scientists have That the visible “spout” of a waterspout is not sea- noted several echo patterns which appear on the ra- water which has been sucked up, but condensed wa- darscope after a waterspout has formed. If they can tervapor caused by low pressure atthe center? find echo patterns which form before the waterspouts That somewaterspouts rotate the “wrong way”? are born,accurate identification forecasting will be (That is, they rotate clockwise, when they’re expect- that much closer. ed to go in the opposite direction.) Experiences of pilots flying in andaround water- Pilots of Air AntisubmarineSquadron 30 learned spouts also are studied in the search for clues. In most theseand other newly discovered facts aboutwater- cases, pilots report only light air turbulence near the spouts recently. Gerald H. Clemons described the spouts. However, one pilot who flew into a waterspout Waterspout Research Program being conducted in the at an altitude of 800 feet reported that several minutes Lower Keys withheadquarters at Weather Bureau laterit turned his airplane loose-upside down 8000 Office, Key West, Fla., by the Environmental Science feet higher1 Services Administration (ESSA) . Researchershave noted -that waterspouts form Thisprogram is acoordinated effort between Na- more frequently during certain hours of the day. They tional Hurricane Center, Miami, and Weather Bureau feel this maybe caused by the sun’s heating effect Office, Key West, and was conceived by Project Di- over the shallow waterssurrounding the Keys. rector Joe Golden for his PhD dissertation topic. Also aweather pattern which spawns waterspouts Clemons is the principal investigator at Key West in one day will be likely to spawn them during the next charge of documentation and time lapse photography day as well. By tracking these patterns as they move from the ground. from place to place, moreaccurate waterspout fore- By studyingthese waterspouts, ESSA scientists casting may be possible. hope to find ways of forecasting tornadoes over land Pilots of air antisubmarinesquadrons help collect areas. Becausewaterspouts usually are found with information by reporting all waterspouts seen during less severeweather patterns and usually cause less flights in the Florida Keys area.

OCTOBER I969 11

HERE IS NO RECORD thatthe humanoids from the base, again after they reached Hawaii and still again spacevehicle asked the frogmen for an escort to nearthe recovery site itself, theactual performance their leader. Remarks this time were strictly business could have been just another dress rehearsal. but, on a previous occasion, concerned the sweetness of the earth's atmosphere. L'"" THE SCIONS of great theatrical families, the men The humanoids, of course,were astronauts who of the helicoptersquadron were historically pre- hadreturned to Planet Earth after a walkon the pared for their part in the Apollo drama, for Squadron moon andthe frogmenwere Navy swimmersfrom Four's choppers had also been on hand to welcome re- UnderwaterDemolition Team 11. Swimmersfrom turning astronauts from Apollo Missions VI11 and X. UDT 12 remained aloft in a ,helicopter ready to inter- The frogmen were even more historically cut out for vene in any emergency. their job. Their preparation began during World War Unseen by either astronautsor frogmen was an I1 whenMarines landing on a Pacific beachwould audience of millions of earthlings who had watched find welcome signs erected by UDT men whohad theentire spacespectacular ontelevision from the cleared a way for them. Like the men of HS 4, the moment the Saturn rocket blasted from its launching underwater demolition menof teams 11 and 12 had paduntil the astronauts were safely aboard uss also participated in previous Apollo dramas. Hornet (CVS 12). For them, the event which Presi- When the great dayarrived, everybody on board dent Nixon called the greatest since creation had pro- Hornet waswell prepared for the drama's final act ceeded like a well rehearsed performance. and confident thatthe recoverywould come off as A well rehearsedperformance? It most certainly plannedand practiced. The rest of the worldwas was. hoping that all would be well. The men of Hornet Astronauts,frogmen, Hornet's crewand everyone knew it would be. concerned with maintaining and flying the Sea Kings The working conditions were not the best. The re- of HelicopterSquadron Four haddone it all many covery site had beenchanged once to avoid bad many times before. weather and, even at the new location, the water was The pilots and swimmers who played the more ac- farfrom calm-rather high waves and heavy swells. tive roles knew their parts well. So thoroughly rehears- In the darkness before dawn it was easy to imagine ed was the drama's finale that, for the men of the that sharkswere in the recoveryarea as therehad helicoptersquadron, the performanceseemed almost been on at least one other Apollo splashdown. an anticlimax. To the swimmers who had repeatedly Imperfectconditions notwithstanding, the drama's practiced their partsbefore leaving their Coronado finale could not be postponed nor could it be transferred to another theater. Helicopters with the wait- ingswimmers were hovering in the darknessabove Hornet waiting for the commandmodule to sweep across the predawn sky. The fireball was first sighted from a helicopter and soon after by other Navymen watching from Hornet’s deck. The capsule’s drogue chutes opened at 34,000 feet and the main chute opened at 10,000 feet. Apollo floated to hersplashdown and HelicopterSquadron Four with the men of Underwater Demolition Team 11 went to work.

WHEN THE CAPSULE hadlanded, swimmer helicopter 53 movedin to mark the command module’s Recoveryhelicopter drops UDT crewman duringpractice foran position and to standby in case there were difficulties. Apollo recovery operation. Thespace vehicle was upsidedown in thewater but that matter was soon corrected from inside when the astronauts righted themselves by inflating balloon- like bags on the submerged topside. A helicopter filled withphotographers hovered at about 60 feet above the scene and swimmer helicopter 64 made its approach. Three UDT swimmers dropped into the Pacific near the capsule. Once in the water, the frogmen went to work at- taching the flotation collar to the capsule and secur- ingtheir life rafts. The job was donecarefully and withoutwaste making haste. As the team’s work progressed, helicopter 66 made a slow approach and dropped another frogman called theBIG swimmer. BIG didn’t refer tothe fourth swimmer’s size. Whenhelicopter 66 madeanother pass, it lowereda bag of Biological Isolation Gar- ments more conveniently known as BIGS. There was a suit for each astronaut and one for the BIG swimmer.

INASMUCH as there might be danger from microorgan- isms againstwhich earthmen hadno defense,one of the, life rafts with the un-BIGed swimmers moved upwind from the command module about 100 feet and the lone swimmer who, by this time, was himself clad in an isolation garment, opened the capsule’s door just BillyPugh rescue net is lowered duringApollo 11 practicemission. long enough to throw the other three suits inside.

Below: UDT 11 swimmersenter raft as LT Hadleberg, in Biological Aftera short wait, thehatch again opened. The Isolation Garment, moves to Apollo 11. three astronauts, dressed in isolation suits, cameout andthe lone swimmer circled thecapsule to decon- taminate it. Afterthe command module had beenmade bio- logically safe, each of the astronauts and the swimmer took turns performing the same service for each other andthe rescue net was loweredfrom the hovering helicopter. Another. picked up the capsule and trans- ported it to Hornet’s deck. Aboard the carrier, the astronauts were greeted by a jubilant crew, the captain and the President, whom the astronauts, Hornet with her crew, helicopters and swimmers, had made the happiest man in the world. “Apollo XI photographs by PH2 Milt Putnam, USN.

ALL HANDS

The Certified Sailor

THERE ARE serious ones, humorous ones and unusual ones. But any Navyman worth his salt will never rest until he has a scrapbook full of them. They’re the unofficial certificates thatdocument where a sailor has been, what he’s done, and most im- portantly, what he is-a Shellback or a Blue Nose or a Mossback or a Double Centurion. Or even a Gold- fish or Sea Squatter. On any noteworthy occasion-and perhaps on some thatmight be otherwiseforgotten-somebody in the crew is sure to spendhours at a drawing board to creatememorablea certificate, repletewith salty language,drawings of mermaidsand tritons andan- chors and chains, and the signature of Neptunus Rex or some other high potentate. And forever after, the men of that shipwill treasure their copiesas they treasure their rating badges.

OWADAYS IT’S ALL in fun and without official recognition. But mariners of earlier years, when it all began, were in earnest. As all sailors knew well, Neptune, god of the sea, was fickle. He played animportant rolein ancient rituals just as hedoes intoday’s initiations into the Orders of the Deep. Athis slightest whim, Neptune, it was believed, might throw a storm into the path of aship that would splinter heroars and spars like matchwood, or cast her onto the rocky coast. And that was whenhe was feeling playful. What would the dread deity bring to a crew if, Zeus forbid, they made him angry? The superstitions of the sea provided forways to stay out of that kind of trouble. In the earliest days, oxen and goats might be offered up to make the old

16 ALL HANDS man of the seamore favorably disposed. He could, underproper circumstances, become downright pro- tective and benevolent,

ALSO, IN THOSE EARLY rituals, the location of the rites had to be right. If every element surrounding the ceremonies was not just so, all Hades might break loose. The location of the ship had an effect on how acceptablethe honors to Neptune were. A rite performed off certain capes (for instance, thosewith temples on them) would work best. And finally, the apprentices had to be instructed in thebehavior that was acceptableand unacceptable. As a later Ancient Mariner discovered to his grief, the rulers of the deep frown on anyone who kills an alba- tross. There were dozens of such strictures-and woe betidethe sailor, nomatter how green, who trans- gressed just one. As previously stated, an ox or a goat was normally offered to appease the sea gods. But not always. Jonah, for example (as our Bible experts recall), was dropped over the side when the crew of the ship on which he was a passenger decided he had brought on the storm that threatened to wreck them. It worked. The storm stopped, Jonah was picked up by a passing whale, and the ship sailed on. Even as late as the17th century, whenno one (well,hardly none) believed in Neptuneor other marine deities any more, initiation into the mysteries of the deep could be a rough process. According to a writerof the time, apprentices “who pass certain places, where they have never passed,” undergo various penalties-forexample, to bedropped “from the yardarm into the sea.” Such are the origins of the granddaddy of all seagoing ceremonies: the shellback initiation when a ship crosses the Equator, in which “pollywogs” (men who haven’t previously crossed theLine) become “shellbacks” (fit subjects of King Neptune).

THE COLORFUL TRADITION and ceremonious rituals survive, butanything dangerous or demeaning is prohibited byNavy regulations today. "It shall be the policy within the Dipartment of the Navy that ceremonies, initiations and similar activities be conducted with dignity, with due regard for haz- ardsto participants, andwith appropriate consideration of the honor and pride associated with wearing the uniform. "Commanders,commanding officers andother officers, as appropriate, of the Navy and Marine Corps Here's how SecNavInstruction 5060.20 spells out shall insure that all ceremoniesand initiations con- the policy concerning military functions which involve ductedunder their cognizanceare properly super- initiations or other similar ceremonies. vised, not hazardous to personnel, and are carried out "Throughout its illustrious history, intangibleyet in such a manner as will reflect credit upon the naval highly significant contributionshave been made to service." the esprit de corps and public image of the Navy and Marine Corps through the continuation of traditional E WON'T GO INTO DETAIL onwhat occurs when customs and ceremonies. Equally essential have been WNeptune and his court are piped aboard and the the spirit and dignity which have generally character- pollywogsjoin theOrder of the Shellbacks,because ized the conduct of these practices. Occasionally, how- that's a mystery of the deep, after all. Suffice it to say ever, personnel have been injured and/or undesirable that when the day ends, the Shellback has arrived. consequenceshave resulted from initiation-type ac- To prove it, he has a certificate of impressive size, tivities. While it is important to perpetuate our time- festooned with drawings of fish, mermaids and a tri- honored initiations andceremonies, such as those dent-wielding Neptune, which proclaims in effect: associated with crossing the Equator or International Date Line or with advancement to chief petty officer, it is mandatory that they be conducted in such a man- TO AllSAILORS WHEREVER YE MAY BE and to all ner as to avoid hazardous, detrimental, or unbecoming Mermaids, Sea Serpents,Whales, Sharks, Dolphins, conduct by the participants. Skates,Suckers, lobsters, Crabs, and other living Things of the Sea, GREETINGS: KNOW YE: That on this ...... day of ...... 19...... in latitude 000"00' and longitude ...... there ap- peared within Our Royal Domain the ...... bound for ...... BE IT REMEMBERED:That said Vessel, Officers and Crew thereof having been inspected and passed on by Ourself and Our Royal Staff, AND BE IT KNOWN: Byall ye Sailors, Mariners and landlubbers, who maybe honored byhis presence, that Seaman W. T. Door, USN, having been found worthy to benumbered as ONE OF OURTRUSTY SHELLBACKS, has been gathered to our fold and duly initiated into the SOLEMNMYSTERIES OF THEAN- CIENT ORDER OF THE DEEP. BE IT FURTHER UNDERSTOOD: That by virtue of the power invested in me I hereby commandmy subjects to showdue honor andrespect to him wheneverhe may enter Our Realm. DISOBEY THIS ORDERUNDER PENALTY OF OUR ROYAL DISPLEASURE. NeptunusRex Ruler of the Raging Main

R SOMETHING of a similar nature. Obviously, the Navyman who isn't so certified is little morethan a landlubber. Ask any shellback. The pollywog simply hasn't been around-and a worse stigma for a sailor is hard to imagine. Through the years, the wish to mark other seagoing milestones has given birth to certificates for all kinds

18 ALL HANDS of distinctions. Most of them are what the television therewould be more distinctions you could gain. industry would call “spin-offs”-imitations with varia- Sailors’ ingenuityhas given rise to several combina- tions-from the shellback idea; they document, in salty tions of theseawards - basedon a ship’s achieving language, passing certain places for the first time. more thanone on the samevoyage, or even at the The Domain of theGolden Dragon, for instance. same time. You enterthe dragon’s empire when youcross the For instance, those who cross the 180-degree mer- InternationalDate Line by sailing west (saysome), idianand theEquator at the sametime become or sailing east (say others). With the extensive Navy GoldenShellbacks. Andin 1965, the submarine uss operations in the Far East since (and before) World Capitaine (AGSS 336) toppednearly everybody by War 11, this passage has become so common that few initiation ceremoniesare actually held. But the certificate, decorated with Chinese-style dragon, will still find its way to a place on the wall of a NaGyman’s den. Other Milestones in Your Career Othernotable line-crossings havetheir certificates too. For the intrepid Navyman who crosses the Arctic YOU won’t havea Whale Banger or Caterpillar Circle, variousdocuments will attest his entrance to Club certificate in your service record, since none the Northern Domain of the Polar Bear or the Royal of the certificates named in the accompanying arti- Order of the Blue Noses. cle is official. The Arctic Circle certificates have a long seafaring But the Navy doeshave official certificatesfor tradition behind them. In the middle ages, when Euro- milestones or achievements in a man’s career. They peanseamen almost never got to theEquator, they include: held ceremonies similar to the shellback initiation on Boot-campawards - academic,honorman or crossing the Arctic Circleor entering the tropics. Now- outstanding-recruit Certificates. adays, King Polar Bear is piped aboard at the limit of 0 Advancement.A standard certificate is pre- his domain, and lets his wrath be known to the “Red sented to a man on advancement to PO3 or above. Noses”-the uninitiates. PN1 John 0. Parmele of VF 103 took this idea a step farther, and got squadron approval for a sim- A T THE OTHER END of the world, you enter the Royal ilar certificate for men beingadvanced to E-3 as Domain of the Emperor Penguin by crossing the well. But his idea hasn’t becomewidespread yet, Antarctic Circle, and HisImperial Majesty inducts andoutside his squadron it’s still unofficial. you as a Frozen Stiff. The bearer of this certificate is Citations for medals, letters of commendation, entitled “to all of the privileges of this frozenrealm and similar honors such as sailor of the month. of blizzards, including freezing, shivering, starving Completion of correspondence courses, schools, and any other privileged miseries that can possibly be GED tests and other exams, or similar educational extended during his stay in this land of answer to a achievements. well digger’s dream.” Qualification in special skills-as a technician, And while you’rein southern latitudes, youmigKt lookout, helmsman, diver, and so forth. qualify for a distinction that has become rare in this Reenlistment. age of the Panama Canal: the title of Mossback. Mem- Retirement, separation or discharge. bers of this exclusive brotherhood are those who have Not all of the certificates will get into your serv- completedthe fearsome voyage around stormy Cape ice record,though entries will bemade to record Horn. They are given the right to spit into the wind the achievements. But they are official, and they’ll if they want to risk it. have a place of honor on your wall alongside your But even if you were a Shellback, Mossback, Blue Shellbackcertificate and all the others. Nose, Frozen Stiff and subject of the Golden Dragon,

OCTOBER 1969 19 YW Sea Squatters comprising men who were in the first task group to enter the Sulu Sea after the fall of the Philippines during World War 11, and the Royal Order of the High- crossing the intersection of the two lines underwater. jump, for participants in the Antarctic operation of that Or if you round the Horn and cross the Equator on name in 1946-47. the same voyage, you are duly honored as a Horned But you don’t have to cross a line or round a cape Shellback. Of course, it’s hard for a Mossback to avoid to receive a certificate. becomingaShellback; but this certificate is rare. You may be a Plank Owner if you were a member And it’s a safe bet that some ships have made out of the commissioning crewof a ship and served aboard Blue-Nosed-Shellbackcards or Frozen-Mossback cer- for a year, amonth and a day after commissioning. tificates. We just haven’t seen them yet. (Some ships waive the service requirement. It’sall unofficial, after all.) 0 F COURSE,certificates are available for round-the- world voyages and similar out-of-the-ordinary A CCORDING TO TRADITION, a memberof a ship’s com- cruises. Wesuspect that somespecial certificate is missioning detail in the days of wooden vessels made for achievementssuch as that of uss Edisto had the right to take a plank from her deck when she (AGB 2) in 1955. In that one year, her crew became wasdecommissioned. It madea good conversation Blue-Nosed, Frozen-Stiff, Golden-DragonShellbacks. piece for his mantel. Today, it would be difficult to That’s hard to top. find a plank on a steel ship; but crewmembers cher- Manysuch certificates are invented to commem- ish the certificate that givesthem “clear andunen- orateparticipation in a specific operation.Random cum’bered title” to one anyway. examples include the West of Shanghai-Manila Club, Different units have made their own variations. A helicoptersquadron made its original crew“Rotor Rooters,” giving them title to one rotor blade. Another variant is the “PlankPreserver” certificate givento Unofficial Certificates Are Not members of the decommissioning crew of uss Monon- (Repeat Not) Stocked by the Navy gahela (TAO 42). WHETHER OR NOT you write the Leading Moon Whether or not you helped commission or decom- Chief mentioned in theaccompanying article mission a ship, if you served aboard one a long time to apply for a Moon ConstructionTeam card, youmay be eligible for another honor: the status of please don’t write to the Bureau of Naval Person- Shackle and Grommet Owner. The rules for this dis- nelor ALL HANDSfor copies of any certificates tinction, as for all unofficial awards, vary among ships; named in the article. some require 15 years, some say three consecutive en- All of them are unofficial. None is in the Navy- listments. wide supply system. A few local commands might (A shackle, by the way, is a U-shaped steel connec- designand print such items as the Shellback cer- tion with a pin through the open end, used to make ti4icate in their own print shops, but this practice is things fast. A grommet is a metal eyelet in a piece of not common. canvas. But all you shackle and grommet owners know If you’re a Blue Nose or a Plank Owner and have that already.) lost your certificate, you might try writing to the unit in which you earned the award; but in all such ILESTONES in a man’s careeroften rate notice in unofficial cases, your chances of getting a replace- the form of certificates. Pilots join the “Century mentare slim. Probably the certificate was orig- Club” when they make their hundredth carrier land- inally drawn and lettered by thc men who partici- ing, thenbecome “Double Centurions” at 200. Re- patedin the event-and then all the copieswere cently, piliots over Vietnam have been inducted into handed out to the crew. the “200 Mission Club”-and a select few have joined Some of the more common documents - Shell- the “300 Mission Club.” back,Golden Dragon, Arctic, Antarctic,Plank Another “Century Club” is an organization of Flor- Owner,and others-are sold by commercialfirms ida-based hurricane hunters who have flown through cateringto Navymen. But as far as weknow, no winds of 100 miles per hour or more. Members of the companystocks Whale Banger, Goldfish Club, or “Not So Ancient Order of the,Hurriphooners” receive other offbeat certificates. And, we repeat, none of a scroll bearingthe legend: “At wave-levelheight, them is printedor supplied by anygovernment this member has battled forces of Neptunus Rex and agency above the local command level. aerial elements of the Chief High Gremlin to a stand- Do you have, or have you heard of, any certifi- still.” It is signed by the Most ExaltedHurriphoon cates we’ve missed? Send them in-preferably with Hunter and the High Hurriphoon Cloud Sniffer. some explanation of the circumstances. As long as But not all certificates are for achievements such as they’re printable, ALL HANDSis interested. flying an aircraft through a hurricane. The same view- point that invents new horrors for pollywogs also de-

20 ALL HANDS vises a suitable award for that occasion when a man makes a fool of himself. At one recent squadron “awards ceremony,” a red- faced aviator was, with due pomp, given a citation as anace Tire-Buster-for blowing a tire on eachof a half-dozen landings. And thenthere was the carrier’s print shop that printed the daily air plan in red ink, instead of black, by mistake. Under the red lights in Air Ops and elsewhere, the red air plan lookedlike a blank sheet of paper. The print shop was duly honored with a certificate forunoutstanding performance - alongwith comments by the Air Ops crew that can’t be repro- duced here. To qualify for membership in the Royal Order of Whale Bangers, you must have been on board a ship whenshe fired at awhale, mistaking it for asub- marine.

BUT AMONG the less-than-glorious clubsare some that Navymen are glad to be around to join. The High-floating Hook-bouncing Barrier Crashers, for one. It’s for carrier pilots who had to use the emergency barrier to land. Anotherone is the GoldfishClub, for pilots who ditchand have to take to a life raft. If theyspend morethan 24 hours on the raft, theybecome Sea Squatters. (The latteraward is open to blackshoes, too. Any takers?) And among the most grateful recipients of dubious honors are the members of the Caterpillar Club-com- prisinganyone who has made an unscheduledpara- HONORARY MEMBERSHIP chute jump from a disabled plane. In memory of their use of the silkworm’s product (or nylon, as the case may be), club members wear a gold caterpillar pin- on civvies only, of course. The color of the caterpillar’s jeweled eyes is determined by the circumstances of the jump; for instance, rubyeyes show that the wearer has survived a midair collision. p ILOTS IN THE KOREANCONFLICT were given cards certifying theirmembership in the “Railroader’s Union.”Members hadthe privilege of working on North Korean railroads as “journeyman railcutters.” The process of inventing new certificates never ends. Documents for future operating areas are being prepared. The moon, for instance. Any Seabee chosen for the first Navy ConstructionTeam lunar expedition will receivean honorary Moon ConstructionTeam card. Ifyou’re interested,applications are beingtaken by theLeading Moon Chief,Public Works Center Box 15, USNS Midway Island, FPO San Francisco 96614. But the most exclusive certificate of the century has already been issued: the plaque taken to the moon by former Naval Aviator Neil Armstrong and his ApoZZo 11 shipmates.Not even a Golden Blue-Nosed Shell- back can match the distinction of being the first men on the moon.the on “J02 Frank Silvey, USN. OCTOBER 1969 21

an anxious student peers over his shoulder. Commis- saryman 1st Class W. E. Geemight be standing around in the tan lab coat of an instructor, keeping an experienced eye on his charges. Instructor Chief J. Jordan gives guidance during lab period. There are three classes going through this advanced school of the culinary artat all times. It’s abusy schedule for the 12 instructors. Most of themwould agree,however, thatthere is nomore satisfying job to be found. The curriculum is presented in severalphases, ranging from food production to nutrition, to records and returns. Menu planning is an integral part of the curriculum, too. In this phase, all of thestudents’ training in supply and nutrition is broughtto bear. “Color, texture, shape-they all enterinto menu planning,”explained Chief CommissarymanLaube, one of the sanitation, nutrition and menu planning instructors, “because people eat with their eyes.”

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE once said that an army trav- els on its stomach. That bit of wisdomis just as true today as it was then. It would be impossible to gauge the contribution thata well prepared meal couldmake to an efficient operatingnaval force. “The recognition that the Navy has given to food CS2 Thomas Carpenter and RMZ/CS T. J. service,” commented Chief Laube, “has really helped, Hentzner work on menu proportions. and it has come down to the fine culinary arts. “We have to know more than the civilian chef,” continuedthe chief. “The manon the firing line in Vietnamcould fail in his mission because of food- borne illnesses.” The thought of a hot meal can do wonders for the morale of a man at anoutpost in the Republic of Vietnam, or markingtime aboard a ship. “Sure, we like to get letters from home while we’re at sea,” Laube continued, “but we don’t every day- and then, who builds morale? The cooks.Years ago, if you didn’t want a man, you put him in the galley. Now, we have a higher caliber of man.” The Navy chef, commissaryman,steward, cook,or whatever he is called, has to be able to do more than prepare a good meal and put it on the table. He has to have a little of the artist in his soul.

ASA PERSON examines the Galley Lab, he might see students slicing carrots, or cutting up a potato. Students plan a menu as classroom assignment. But wait, oncloser inspectionhe observes that they Below: Out on the job a commirraryman makes SOUP. are not just preparing a salad or a stew. He ambles over for a closer look at what is going on.

Somejudges prefer relatively simplesketches, Otherslean more towardsheavy ink-wash presentations with considerable detail. Examples of both-plus those that are somewhere in between-usually are rep- resented in the top 10.

LONGTIME READERS should recognize the names of at least three of the cartoonists who finished in this year’s top 10. Chief PettyOfficer Ernest M. Mawn, Jr., who, as the observant viewer can see, signs his work“Mick Mawn,” hasdisplayed his work in ALL HANDSfor years. Chief Mawn, now assigned to the Navy Radio ‘Station, Sabana Seca, P. R., struck hard this time by taking two of the top 10 awards, including first prize for his Navyman named Asap. Lieutenant Commander Melville C. Murray of the ComServPac staff, another veteran All-Navycartoon- ist, was a double winner with his interpretation of a

EACH YEAR,hundreds of cartoonsare submitted for competition in the All-Navy ComicCartoon Con- test. Selecting the10 “funniest” isnot easy, because what’s funny is a matter of opinion. One judge chuckles. Another goes hmmm. A third breaks up. However, and this has been the case since the con- tests began in 1955, there is a way to determine the winners. (See page 26 for the winning entries in this year’s contest.) Six judges are recruited from active duty Navy men and womenassigned to Bureau of Naval Personnel. After the contest deadline (1July), the judges meet and review all theentries. This usually reducesthe stack of competitive cartoons to 40 or 50. Eachjudge then gives eachcartoon a point value of from one to 10. When the points are totaled, the cartoon with the highest value is declared the winner. Runner-up positions of Znd, 3rd, 4th and 5th like- dress personnel inspection (2nd place) and an up-to- wise are determined on the basis of point standing, as date version of Navy travel (honorable mention). are five honorable mention awards, The familiar name of Jerry Paoli accompanied the The cartoonistswho finish in thetop five receive 3rdplace winner which gives anew twist to junior- All-Navy championshiptrophies from the Chiefof senior relationships. Interior Communications Techni- NavalPersonnel. Honorablemention certificates are cian Paoli is assigned to uss Barry (DD 933). awardedto the five runners-up, Illustrator-Draftsman Keith I. Myers of the Com- All 10 of the winning entries appear in ALL HANDS, PhibLant staff at Little Creek finished fourth with his as do the best of the nonwinners throughout the year. modernistic look at a rating badge, and Seaman John W. Benson of NAS Ellyson Field, Pensacola, broke up THIS OPPORTUNITY for Navymen to exhibit their tal- the panel with his meeting of Navymen (5th place). ent for cartoon humor is conducted under the Bu- Benson also was in the groove with a psychedelic ship Persrecreation program. that won honorable mention. The only entrance requirement is that the cartoonist Seaman Apprentice-Yeoman Dean E. Yeagle of uss be on active duty (or be a dependent of a man on ac- William R. Rush (DD 714), and Donald L. Winans, tive duty) for more than 90 days, and that the cartoon Petty Officer First of the Naval Security Group Activ- depict some phase of Navy life. Of course, the cartoon ity, Hanza, Okinawa, round out the list of this year’s must be in good taste. cartoon contest winners. The cartoonist submits his entry to BuPers with Now, turnthe page and see if you canidentify certification that both the idea and drawing are his. with any of this year’s All-Navy cartoons. Perhaps your The judges,who may range inrank fromseaman favoritereminds you of someoneyou know, or stirs apprenticeto admiral, contribute their own concepts your memory and makes you think that cartoon char- of what’s funnyand what’swell done in the comic acter is really you. presentations of Navy life. Maybe it is.

OCTOBER 1969

MOVIE CAL L

28 Crewmen ofNavy ship watch movie on the mess decks,above left, At right,Navyman inspects film on damage detector at Sasebo. The detector checks’for rips,scratches, and poor splices.

ashore overseas, including Antarctica. The cost of ad- bution. In addition,approximately 100 moviesfrom mission? Freeto all Navymen andtheir dependents six to 10 yearsold are leased anddistributed as re- and all people associated with a naval unit. issues. Thirty prints of each of these are also procured The Navy spends nearly five million dollars a year and distributed. providing movies for the Fleet and overseas shore sta- It is difficult to imagine about 30,000 separate film tions. Thismoney comes from the BuPersCentral prints in circulation throughout the world. You won- Recreation Fund, which is administered by the Bu- der how the Navy does it. For one thing, it’s not like reau’s SpecialServices Division. distributing to a chain of movie theaters. The Navy’s The movies shownaboard ship are leased by the ships are, seemingly,always in motion. Navy for a four-year period, and are accountable to theNavy Motion Picture Service, ,Brooklyn,New ANY MOVIES have to be ,transferred at sea while York. the ships are underway. The problem of tracing the movement of all these films and keeping them in HE JOB of distribution is complex, Keeping track of good condition seems staggering. The answer is a sys- where all those films are and keeping them in good tem of pre-punched data cards called Motion Picture condition require hundreds of trained motion picture Print Inventorycards attached in card-deckfashion operators as well as automatic data processing equip- to the Inspection and Exhibition Books accompanying ment inBrooklyn, N. Y. Each motion pictureopera- each print. Each card represents one month of lease tor throughout the Fleet must attend oneof the Navy’s time. The ship or activity holding the print at the end four schools onfilm handling and projectiontech- of the monthremoves the cardfrom the I&E Book, niques. The schools are held for one week and cover writes, types or stamps thename of the ship or ac- the basics in 16-mm film exhibition and storage. tivity on it and mails it to the Navy Motion Picture The Navy goes to great lengths to obtain the best Service inBrooklyn for inventory .processing. Copy- films. The Motion PictureService each year leases right restrictions embodied in the contractsrequire under contract approximately 200 new films from the strict accounting for all prints to the companies. motion picture industry. Motion picturesare selected Authorization for distribution of prints is divided by the Navy Motion Picture Officer and the Technical betweenthe Atlanticand the Pacific Fleets. Under Director of the NavyMotion Picture Service, in the direction of CommanderService Force, Atlantic Brooklyn,in accordancewith criteria set forth by Fleet,are 18 movie exchanges, and in the Pacific, BuPers. Contracts require that the various companies the Commander Service Force, Pacific Fleet, controls make available all new products for immediate selec- 12 movie exchanges. tion andorder, with the exception of reservedseat Each of theseexchanges is located on ornear a “Roadshows” which may be delayed up to 15 months. naval base either in the United States or overseas. The Navy orders 30 prints of each picture for distri- One movie exchange, Rodman, Canal Zone, serves

OCTOBER 1969 29

ment feature movies without their beingcounted about 800 films a year. We have to screen every new against the limit of one movie per day at sea. When print that comes in here. It gets to the point that you ships are traveling in company, their individual daily don’t look at the plot or the acting, as they all begin allotment of featurepicture programs is cut slightly to look alike. We have to look at the new films be- as they can trade on a one-for-one basis with the other fore they go to the Fleet and at the old films to make ships. sure that the inspection machines haven’t missed any- Once back in port, the ships must turn in all their thing. Weare required to screen and inspecteach sea prints to the local movie exchange and draw daily film after it’s been shown five times. Another problem from the shore-based circuit stock. The films used for that crops up is that the films may not be accompanied this purposeare called “dailies.” by the proper logbooks. Sometimes, for example, we geta Pacific movie withan Atlantic book. In that ASWITH ALL systems,especially on aworldwide case we have to send the books back to Brooklyn.” basis, thereare problems. One of the bigprob- lems is that in actual use the films can become dam- LAVET is assisted in his job by four other Navymen. agedand sometimes lost. c One man, EM3 P. E. Daut, acts as a typist, pre- Electrician’s Mate 1st Class Bob Clavet is the super- paring forms, damage reports and inspection reports. visor of the Fleet Activities Sasebo Motion Picture Ex- Two others, EM3 P.M. Eisele andEMFN P. D: change.Petty Officer Clavet feels that most people Johnson, inspect and rewind the films on the two in- don’t realize the complexity of his operation. “When spection machines and control the sea prints in stock. youask anyonewhat the guys in the movieex- According to Clavet, the machines check splices, and change do, they’ll tell you that all we do is sit around find rips and tears in the film. and watch movies.It’s not as simple as that.The If something is wrong with a print, the movieex- biggestheadache in this jobis thepaperwork. changepersonnel have to repair the damaged por- “We have to keep a running log of every film we tion, matchingscenes as wellas possible. Another issue, as well as weekly inventories anda monthly man, EM3 V. J. Smith, works at the daily desk issuing inventorycovering every print on hand or issued. movies to ships in port. Clavet also maintains .a watch Each print that comes through here has an Inspection bill to makesure that ships ,can draw film during and Exhibition booklet and the Motion Picture Print the weekends and daily up to 2000. Inventory cards. Asked if he thought all this expense and effort that “We have to inspect and rewind every one of these the Navy goes to in supplying the Fleet with its night- films, fill out the cards and send them into Brooklyn. ly movie was worth it, Clavet replied, “Sure it’s worth I’dguess that we inspect about 1300 films a month. it. Ask anyone in the Navy and he’ll tell you, short of Out of those we have to send about 20 a month back liberty, there’s nothing that boosts morale more than to Brooklynas unusable.When we find damaged the evening movie!” prints we’ve really got problems. We have to fill out “Bygolly, theydo have Raquel Welch!” damage reports and package the prints to ship them air parcel post to Brooklyn. ”Story by J02 Charles Holman, “Sure, we look at a lot of movies. I guess I look at “Photos by J03 Greg Gendall.

EM3 V. J. Smithfills out inventory reports on prints in stock prior to their release tothe Fleet. Below, right: Film inspectorsplices a film by hand to in- surean error-free exhibition.

OCTOBER I969 31

Itsuse aboard Forrestal intro- Ticonderoga’s birthdaycelebra- 19), also has an enviable Vietnam ducedthe process to the Norfolk tions didn’t keepher pilots from record. yard,and meant that for awhile their missionsin support of allied (Ticonderoga, by the way, was last summer, Forrestal musthave forcesin the Republic of Viet- originally named Hancock, and hadthe cleanest bilges in the nam. vice versa. The names were switch- Navy. (The ALL HANDS Share-the- eda yearbefore the two carriers Glory Department feels impelled to werecommissioned, Hancock (ex- point outthat the Navy’s oldest Ticonderoga) threeweeks before attack carrier, uss Hancock (CVA Ticonderoga (ex-Hancock). ) Tico Is Striking for 26 The oldestattack carrier in the SeventhFleet began her second quarter-centuryon 8 May-still on the job. Her first 25 yearsbrought five battle stars inWorld War I1 and three Navy UnitCommendations forthe Vietnam conflict. But uss Ticonderoga (CVA 14) isn’t ready to rest on her laurels yet. Infact, she’s still breaking ret,- ords as the first CVA to make five combat cruises Vietnameseto waters. Sheentered the Pacific Theater in 1944, and earned battle stars for the Western Caroline Islands, Ley- te, Luzon, and OkinawaGunto operations, and for the Third Fleet operationsagainst enemythe homeland. InJanuary 1945, Ticonderoga was hit by two kamikazes and lost 143 men. But after a brief yard period, she was back in action for the last five months of the war. Shekept busy attacking Jap- anese-held islands, supporting allied troopsashore, and destroying enemyshipping. Her score: 364 enemyplanes destroyed or damaged, 45 ships sunk and 100 ships damaged. Shortly after theend of hostilities, Tico served as a “Magic Car- pet”transport to bringtroops home. Then she was put in reserve in January 1947. Her recommissioning in 1954 openedthree years of yardwork, TIC0 IS TWENTY-FIVE uss Ticonderoga (CVA14) beginsher career as sheslides intothe Water in shakedown cruises andon? Medi- 1944. Above: Smoke pours from. Tic0 after being hit by kamikaze planesin terranean cruise. By 1957, when South China Sea in1945. Below: Carriermen spell out their own greeting as sherejoined the Pacific Fleet, Ti- they enter Subic Bay after a line period in Vietnam waters. conderoga hadnew steam cata- pults, an angleddeck, and other improvements. Inthe past 12 years, shehas made 10 deployments to the West- ern Pacific. Duringthat time, be- sides winningthree Navy Unit Commendations,she earned the Battle Efficiency “E” four times from 1960 to 1965.

OCTOBER I969 TODAY‘S NAVY

At Iwo Jima, Shusta was attacked by shore batteries for three succes- sive days, but the enemy fire reached no closer than 25 yards off her port bow. Here, Shasta’s crew had a ringside seat to watch the raising of Old Glory atop Mt. Suribachi. After the war, Shusta was decommissioned, butshe was brought back for Korea and since then has worked such areas as Jordan, Leb- anon and Suez, and took part in the search for the submarine Scorpion. On her 25th anniversary in 1967, she wasin WestPacwith the7th Fleet off Vietnam. Finally too old for the times, Shasta was decommissioned at Lit- tle Creek, Va.,last July. She’ll be missed by plenty of Navymen.

LAST LOOK-Ammunition ship USS Shasta (AE 6), a veteran of World War II, has retired from the Navy and been decommissioned at Little Creek, Va. Glynco Takes Efficiency Award The kudos went to the Naval Air ShastaSays Farewell Crewmembers broke out mattresses TechnicalTraining Center, Glyn- This Shasta was no bottle of soda and used them to cushion the clat- co, Ga., selected as the outstanding pop. The Navymen who knew her tering charges until the storm sub- NATTC for competitionyear 1969. best said she was dynamite, so to sidedenough to permitthem to Although we 11 deserved, it speak. stow the ordnance in a main deck wasn’t exactly a runaway win. Nine Builtfor theMaritime Commis- passageway. NATTCS vied for thehonor, and sion butacquired by the Navyin There alsowas some action in when the competitionpoints were April 1941, the veteran ammunition the forward hold. Sixteen-inch pro- tallied, onlythreepercentage ship (AE 6, if youdidn’t know) jectiles, 250 of them,broke loose pointsseparated the winner from enduredlonger than do most ca- and fell one deck‘s distance on top theeighth runner-up. reer Navymen. And thousands of ’ of some 1000-poundbombs. Again, Such keen competition,judged Navymen knew Shasta well. Shasta’s luck held;none of these by RearAdmiral Ernest E. Chris- DuringWorld War 11, some of exploded. tensen, Chief of Naval Air Techni- Shasta’s crewmenat times wished Onanother occasion, anenemy cal Training, attests tothe high they were someplace else, but they, pilot droppeda bomb that hit the excellence of each NATTC activity. like the ship, survived. water between Shasta and her sis- The admiral presented the Chief of Shasta was gutsy. In August ter ship, uss Mama Loa (AE 8). Naval Air TechnicalTraining Ef- 1942, for example,she moved a But again, Shasta escapedwithout ficiency Trophy to Glynco NATTC’S load of ammofrom the U. S. to damage. commanding officer, CaptainJack New Zealand-unescorted. On 4 Nov 1943, Shasta took 9000 L. Fruin. Shemade six otherruns across tons of ammunition into herholds The award was based on the ef- the Pacific, picked up five battle atSan Francisco and topped the fectiveness of the center’s per- stars, rode out a typhoon, and made load off with some defective deto- formance of assigned missions, emergencyturns to avoid mines natorsthat were to be deep-sixed functions, and tasksas indicated while dangling a few tons of high after she was well to sea. However, by the results of command inspec- explosives between her and the re- as Shastu clearedthe docks, the tions duringthe competition year. ceiving ship. detonators began to smoke. Shasta- Like its sister activities, NATTC It was the night of the typhoon men didn’t wait for the “well-to- Glyncoprovides basic, advanced that most Shasta old-timers will sea” phase of her operations. and specialized trainine; for offi- never forget. Later that same day, Shasta was cers and enlisted personnel in the On 5 Jun1945, the ship ran clearing the Golden Gate in dense fields of combatinformation cen- into winds that reached nearly 100 fogwhen she collided with a sea- operations,ter advanced naval knots. At thepeak of thestorm, going tug. She had to put back into flight officer duties, air traffic con.- 27 depth charges broke loosefrom San Francisco Bay for a plate to be trol operations, and maintenance of lashingsonthe main deck aft. welded over the hole in her side. aviation-orientedequipment.

36 ALLHANDS

TODAY’S NAVY

Son Diego Joins Fleet The first, an armored cruiser, served as escort ship, gunship, and The arrival of uss San Diego was the only major American war- search-and-rescue vesselin the (AFS 6) at Norfolk last July means ship sunk by an enemy submarine Western Pacific. She helped in sav- the Atlantic Fleet now has three of in WorldWar I. Shewent down ing 11 lives: sevenfrom a heli- thenew high speed combat store in the North Atlantic in 1918. copter which crashed at sea during ships. The othersare Sylvania The second Sun Diego wasa nightoperations, and fourViet- ( AFS 2) and Concord (AFS 5). light cruiser (CL 53) built during namesefishermen adrift in their These Mars-class shipsare de- World War I1 and later reclassified sampanwithout food orwater. signed to keep pace with fast car- as an antiaircraft cruiser (CLAA). PearlHarbor welcomed USS rier task forces whileperforming This San Diego was decommis- ErnestG. Small (DDR 838) and various logistic support services. sioned in 1959. USS Davidson (DE 1045) home af- The AFS generallycombines the The new Sun Diego and her 400 tera Western Pacific deployment. functions of theAF (store ship), officers and crewmembers will op- TwoSan Diego-based destroy- AKS (stores issue ship)and AVS erate fromNorfolk withService ers, USS Hopewell (DD681) and (aviation supply ship). San Diego, Squadron Four. USS Duncan (DD874), .came hometogether after seven months in WestPac. The ships’ duties included coastal patrols, gunfiresupport, carrier escort and Positive Identification Radar AdvisoryZone ( PIRAZ) assignments. Hopewell also operated in shallowwater to support river- ine forces withmedical assistance andshore bombardment. Duncan and Hopewell took part inAustralia’s annualcommemora- tion of the Battle of the Coral Sea; later, their crewswitnessed the splashdown of the Apollo 10 astronauts. The Pacific Fleet’s newestand largest destroyer tender, USS Sam- uel Gompers (AD 37), came back to SanDiego after five months in Subic Bay, Republic of the Philip- pines. Duringthe deployment, Gomp- ers served237 ships of 42 types, ranging from minesweepers to at- WEST TO EAST-New high speed combat stores ship USS San Diego (AFS tack carriers, with repairs, sup- 6) leaves San Diego for home port at Norfolk and dutywith Atlantic Fleet. plies, food, computer services, fuel, andmedical and dental care. The for example, carries more than 15,- Time for aBreather most dramatic operation took place 000 different supply items. onThanksgiving Day last year, Much of the AFS cargo is deliv- Fora while,at least, their jobs when an emergency appendectomy ered by two heavy-lift helicopters weredone. Now theycame home saved the life of a destroyer Navy- based on board. ’This vertical re- for a rest. man who was highlined to Gomp- plenishmentaugments other ap- ers at .sea. proaches,such tensionas wire USS Coonfz (DLG 9) returned San Francisco-based USS Mafta- highline. to San Diego after a six-month de- poni (A0 41) camehome to end Computersand data processing ployment to the Western Pacific. her fifth Vietnam deployment in as technicians helpthe AFSkeep Herduties includedsearch-and- many years. abreast of supplyinventories and rescue and plane guard missions in The oiler refuelednearly 300 insure speedy replenishment cycles. the Gulf of Tonkin, Yellow Sea and ships duringthe cruise, pumping The newestAFS was built in Sea of Japan. 30 milliongalldns of fuel to her SanDiego, Calif., and commis- USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD customers. The 27-year-oldship is sioned lastMay. She is thethird 729) came back to San Diego after a veteran of World War 11, and the ship to bear the name San Diego. a six-month cruise in whichshe Korean and Vietnam conflicts.

38 ALL HANDS The 135,000 Navymen in Group Nineaviation ratings are assured of fair treatment by their detailers in BuPers-if they keep the detailers advised of their duty status and wishes. Thls was one message delivered to men of the Naval Air Advanced TrainingCommand Corpusat Christi by ateam of enlisted detailers from the Aviation Rating Control office at BuPers. The three-day visit was designed to improvecommunications be- tweenBuPers and the NAATC’S three air stations, and to inform the airdales of recentand proposed changes to Group Nine assignment procedures. The team ‘wasled by Captain George H. Lee, head of the BuPers Aviation RatingControl section, andincluded seven master chief petty officers who are detailers for specific aviation ratings. The teamheld informal discus- sions with the NAATC personnelat the air station’s three enlisted and CPO clubs. “We’re at BuPers to look after you,” CAPT Lee told one assembly. “We want to hear from you-what you want and why.” CAPT Lee admitted that “problems do exist,” and that “we don’t have all the answers,but we’re findinganswers andsmoothing things out.” The detailers discussed orders, tour extensions, humanitarian as-

OCTOBER 1969 TODAY’S NAVY

Fletcher Ends Last Tour Inher last combat cruise this china (now Vietnam) for four The“Fighting Fletcher” (DD year, Fletcher patrolled the Repub- hours in broad daylight, while 445), namesake of the most nu- lic of Vietnam coast in support of crewmen paddled ashore to rescue merous class of destroyers in World Allied forces from theMekong a downed aviator. War 11, is being retired after illus- Delta to the Demilitarized Zone, trious service in three conflicts. andescorted camers in the Gulf Final Tour for USS Black Her last of ascore of Western of Tonkin. The effects of long service and Pacific deployments ended inMay wide travel finally caught up with as shereturned to PearlHarbor Five Subs Retired the destroyer uss Black (DD 666). from Vietnam duty. In the previous Five Pacific Fleetsubmarines- In July, Black returned to San 27 years she had won a total of 20 all veterans of WorldWar I1 ac- Diego from WestPac to be decom- battle stars. tion-were decommissionedrecent- missioned andthen scrapped or Fletcher, first of 175 of her ly at Mare Island. placed in theReserve Fleet. 2100-ton classto be built during They were uss Bream (SS 243), Commissionedin 1943, Black WorldWar 11, receivedher bap- Bluegill (SS 242), Charr (SS 328), was namedafter Lieutenant Com- tism of fire in November1942 at Raton (SS 270)and Tunny (SS mander Hugh D. Black, whose de- Guadalcanal,fourand a half 282). stroyer uss Jacob Jones (DD 130) months after she wascommission- Tunny, oldest of the group, was was torpedoedand sunk in the ed. Inthat battle, theJapanese commissioned 1 Sep 1942. She won NorthernAtlantic in February navy lost a battleship and two de- the PresidentialUnit Citation for 1942. stroyers; American losses were two thesecond and fifth of hernine Black has seen plenty of action. cruisers and four destroyers. Of all war patrols. In 27 years, shehas During World War 11, she work- the Alliedvessels involved,only filled the roles of Fleet submarine, ed from the Gilberts to Japan and Fletcher came through undamaged guided missile submarineand un- in oneyear conducted a number -and she was credited by Admiral conventionalwarfare submarine. of searchand rescue missions; Ernest J.King withtorpedoing a As a missile sub, shelaunched helped sink threeenemy ships; heavy cruiser. the first Regulus fired from a sub- provided AAW protection for car- (Later recordsdo notconfirm marine. Later, for her performance riers, battleships and supply ships; the attack by Fletcher; but the sit- in unconventionalwarfare duties, and shot down or damaged numer- uation in the furious 24-minute shereceived the MeritoriousUnit ous enemyaircraft, one of which battle was so confused no one will Commendation. crashed only 10 yards from Black. really ever know.) Raton, commissioned 13 Ju1 Black was inactivated after the Sheseemed to continueher 1943,sank 44,000 tons of enemy war, but was recalled in July 1951. charmed life for the next two years. shipping in seven patrols, and re- While operating in the Atlantic in She didn’t receive a scratch as she ceived two Navy Unit Commenda- January1953, Black joinedDes- earned credit for sinking an enemy tions. Div 281 for a cruise around the sub,bombarded Japanese installa? Bluegill, commissioned 11 Nov world,during which she visited tions andshipping, covered Allied 1943, sank the light cruiser Yubari Korea totake part in shore bom- landings, shot down enemy planes on her first patrol, to earn the first bardments. and rescued survivors. of two Navy Unit Commendations InJanuary 1955, Black return- On Valentine’s Day,1945, she in six patrols. Duringthe last pa- ed to the Pacific andthereafter took her first damage,A 6-inch trol, her crewmen swarmed ashore worked with the 1st and 7th Fleets, shell from a shore battery on Mari- with small arms and sabers to cap- Early in the Vietnam conflict, veles exploded afterpassing turePratus Atoll, site of aJap- Black and uss Higbee (DD806) through Fletcher’s main deck, kill- aneseradio and weather station. claimedto bethe first U. S. war- ing five men and putting both for- Bluegill men raised the U. S. flag ships toparticipate in Operation ward guns out of action. Within six andrenamed the island for their MarketTime. days,unassisted, she had fully re- submarine. In April 1965, Black became one paired the damage and was ready Bream was commissioned 24 Jan of the first shipsto demonstrate for thenext operation. 1944,and made six war patrols. that effective naval gunfire can be She was put out of commission in Duringone, she made a solo at- directed by airborne spotters. With reservefrom 1947 to 1949. tack on acolumn of cruisers. She a single salvofrom hermain bat- Duringthe Korean conflict, eliminatedthe heavy cruiser Aoba tery, Black destroyed an enemy Fletcher participated in the inva- fromthe Battle of LeyteGulf; gunposition thathad takenher sion of Inchonand took part in afterward, she was severely depth- spotterunder fire. bombardment,antisubmarine war.- charged and was claimed as a vic- Bkck‘s final WestPacdeploy- fare, carrier escortand patrol op- tim by Tokyo Rose. ment was her 12th since 1955. She erations. Charr, commissioned 23 Sep leavesthe service heavywith 13 In 1963, she was a unit of recov- 1944,made three war patrols. In replicas of.campaign and service eryforce for astronautGordon onedaring action, she iav atan- ribbons for duty from the Gilberts Copperduring MA-9 space flight. chor a mile off the coast of Indo- in 1943 to Vietnam in 1969.

40 All HANDS A MasterChief Retires on 30 Piped Ashore

THE ADMIRAL andthe chiefweren’t strangers.They used to shine shoes together in basic training before thewar. It was in SanDiego where Rear Admiral Sheldon H. Kinney andMaster ChiefGunner’s MatePeter DeHart first metas seaman recruits of Company 36-3, in 1936. The admiral was the 1st platoon leader; the chief, the recruit company commander. Today, Admiral Kinney serves as Assistant Chief of NavalPersonnel for Educationand Training, a post he assumed early this year. Chief DeHart, who was honored as one of the original 11 SEA candidatesfor the job as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, retired in Washington, Rear Admiral Kinney ond Master Chief Gunner’s Mote DeHart D. C., on 1 August,ending 30 years’ active service. inspectduring the chief’s retirement ceremony. On hand for the chief‘s retirement, Admiral Kinney read a letter of appreciation to his former shipmate of Navymen crossed paths,once passing throughLong three decades ago. Then the tworeminisced about a Beach, Calif., in 1939 when AdmiralKinney was on bygoneera in whichboth took initial stepstoward leave from the Academy, and Chief DeHart was back their separate, but related, careers. from atour in the Pacific; andagain in 1957, this After serving four years with the gunnery crew on time in the Bureau of Naval Personnel where the ad- boardthe battleship uss Idaho (BB 42), Chief De- miral was attending to details before he became Com- Hart returned to civilian life until 1943, when he re- mandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy, and enlistedto serve as a gunnery instructor during the Chief DeHart was a technical writer-advisor with the war. It was later that he decided to make the Navy Training PublicationsDivision, Navy Personnel Pro- his career. gramSupport Activity. This was the same organiza- AdmiralKinney had begun his career with an 18- tion with which he was servingon his most recent monthtour as aseaman before earning an appoint- tour,when he retired. The pictureshere show them ment to the Naval Academy where he graduated with on their first and last tours together in the Navy. honors in 1941. ”Story by JOC Marc Whetstone, USN Twice, before the retirementceremony, the two Photos by JOC Ely Orias, USN

Inspectionand (below) Chief and Mrs. DeHartPart of the odmiral’sandchief’s recruit company. ApprenticeSeaman DeHort reminisce with RADM Kinney. is seatedfront raw lett and Apprentice Seoman Kinney fourth from left in samerow.

41 bulletin board Family Profecfion Plan for Retired Navymen

BEFORE YOU REACH 19 years of service for pay pur- eligible survivors will receive apercentage or dollar poses on active duty (or age 58as a Reservist) you amount of your retired pay. are advised to consider the benefits available to you The maximum you may specify is one-half of your under the Retired Serviceman’s Family Protection Plan. retired pay. The minimum is one-eighth of your re- In essence, youmay agree to draw less retired or tired pay, or $25, whichever is greater. retainer pay in order to provide a monthly income for Before the plan was changed in August 1968, your wife or children after your death. there was a fourth option which had to be included if Formerly known asthe Uniformed Services Con- you wanted your full retired pay to be restored if tingency Option Act of 1953, RSFPP has been ex- you no longer had eligible beneficiaries. Under the panded and today is one of the soundest such insurance old law, you selected an annuity of one-half, one- plans ever devised. quarter or one-eighth of your reduced retired pay- The plan is intended primarily to supplement com- your pay reduced by the cost of participating in RSFPP. mercial or other government life insurance. However, Now, when you retire, you have the protection of the if you do not have other insurance, it is possible that old option four without specifically asking for it. any dependents you leave behind will have only their Before you settle on an option or combination of RSFPP survivor annuities to count on as regular income. options, you should consider all the pertinent details, Changes to RSFPP signed into law in August 1968 ex- such as cost, family needs while you are retired, and panded many of the benefits. BuPers Inst.1750.1 projected family needs in the event of your death. series has the details. Here’s a report: Option 1 provides an annuity to your widow as long as she lives and remains unmarried. Enrollment Option 2 provides payments in equal shares to or You may enroll in RSFPP any time before you com- for your eligible children. plete 19 years of service for pay purposes, Or, you Option 3 pays a monthly annuity to your widow may enroll after 19 years of service provided you serve until her remarriage or death. The payments then are at least two years after enrollment. This satisfies a divided equally among your eligible children. primary requirement for advance elections and helps You should note that you may allocate a part of the to maintain cost rates which apply to all whopar- annuity to any of your children, even if they are not ticipate. the children of your beneficiary wife. You may specify If you are unable to sign up before completing 19 this allocation either before or after you become eligi- years of service because you’re stationed in an isolated ble for retired pay. However, if you take the action area, or for some other reason over which you have no after you retire, your wife still must be eligible for an control, you have a one-year grace period to complete annuity. If she remarries or dies, the annuitythen is the paperwork. divided equally among all your eligible children. Also, if you are granted retroactive retired pay, you may make an election within 90 days after notifica- Full retired pay is automatically restored to RSFPP tion that the retroactive pay has been granted. members who retire after 13 Aug 1968 when they no The usual procedure is for your personnel office to longer have eligible beneficiaries. Those who retired before 13 Aug 1968 and did not select the old option notify you of your RSFPP options well before your 19th service anniversary. You are provided with a copy of 4 coverage had until 1 Sep 1969 to purchase it. NavPers 1740/5 and then you either sign up for the plan, stating the options you desire, or return the form Multiple Options and say you do not wish to participate. RSFPP is flexible in that you may select multiple op- Ifyou enroll, the form must be dated, signed, wit- tions. You may combine options 1 and 2, butthe nessed and delivered to your commanding officer (if combined annuity may not exceed one-half of your you’re on active duty)or postmarked (if you’re in- retired pay. active) not later than midnight on the day you com- You may not combine option 1 withoption 3, or plete 19 years of service, or reach age 58 as a Reservist. option 2 with option 3. However, and this is part of Assuming you do not change or revoke your elec- the new law, you may changeoption 3 coverage to option 1 if on the date you retire you have no children tions, RSFPP automatically goes into effect when you retire. under 18 or otherwise eligible for annuities. Effective 1 Nov 1968, if you electoption 3 and Options your wife dies or you are divorced afterretirement, You have the choice of one or a combination of you will have full coverage for eligible children with three basic options, and you specify whether your no further deductions from your retired pay.

42 All HANDS

Also, BuPersNotice 1750 (29 Mar 1969) has tables It is possible for yoursurvivors to receive HSFPP for estimating the cost of RSFPP coverage under most annuities along with Dependency and Indemnity Com- usual circumstances. pensation paid by the Veterans Administration. Entitle- For the specificdollar costs that would apply to your ment to both depends on type and date of retirement, situation, checkwith your personnel office or insur- cause of disability, if any,and other considerations ance officer. peculiar to agiven situation. Your insurance officer has the details. Annuities If you’re a Reservist, effective 13 Aug1968, the When the Finance Center receives official notifica- date of your eligibility to Reserve retired pay is your tion of your death after retirement, it will forward to 60thbirthday instead of the first day of the month followingyour 60th birthday. This means that you begin to draw Reserve retired pay on the same date you become eligible for RSFPP, provided, of course, all other requirements have been met. No Dependents Even if you have no dependents, you should consider enrolling in RSFPP. Perhaps youwill marry,or

yourdependency status mightotherwise change, before I you retire. Remember that deductions from your pay for RSFPP coverage do not begin until you retire. If by then you have no dependents, your RSFPP elections are void and cost you nothing. Also,you are advisedto avoid withdrawing from your survivors the forms and information they’ll need the plan before retirement solely because your bene- to apply for HSFPP annuity payments. ficiaries lose their eligibility. You do not participate in Survivor annuities are subject to income tax. How- theplan if you haveno eligible beneficiaries atthe ever, if you retire because of service-connected dis- time you retire. ability and die before reaching normal retirement age, However, if you shouldacquire new beneficiaries your survivors may exclude up to $5000 in annuities before retiring, and had revoked your earlier elections, when figuring gross income for federal tax purposes. your dependents might not receive theRSFPP annuities. (The InternalRevenue Service has established Full details on this important subject are contained “normal retirement age”as the age at which you would in BuPers Inst. 1750.1 series. Remember to check into havehad theright to retire had you continuedon RSFPP before you complete 19 years of service, and if active duty. ) you have any questions, see your insuranceofficer.

I TheseDefinitions and Terms WillExplain to Help RSFPP I Here are some definitions that apply to the Re- and 23who are attending a full-time course in a tired Serviceman’s Family Protection Plan: recognizededucational institution may be con- RsFPP-RetiredServiceman’s FamilyProtection sidered as eligible beneficiaries of those who retire Plan. Formerly knownas theUniformed Services after 1 Nov 1968 with options 2 or 3 in effect. Contingency Option Act. Years of Service-The number of years creditable Widow-Can mean widow or widower, depend- when computing your basic pay. ing, obviously,on whether you area Navyman Retired Pay-This includes retired, retirement, orwoman. Used here, widowmeans your lawful equivalent and retainer (Fleet Reserve) pay. spouse on the date you retire with pay. Retirement-Your retirementwith eligibility to Children-For RSFPP eligibility, the word children receive retired pay. (or child) refers to those who meet the following Change of Election-A change in the percentage requirements on the date of your retirement with of the reduced amount of your retired pay under pay:Legitimate children under 18 years of age anyoption, ora change in any of the options andunmarried; stepchildren under 18 whoare selected. Notification of a substitution, deletion or unmarriedand dependenton you for morethan addition of dependentswithin an option is nota one-half their support (stepchild relationship term- “change,” as the election remains in effect for the inates upon the stepparent’s divorce from the parent same class of dependents selected. spouse, but not upon death of thestepparent); Revocation-Cancellation of aprevious election. legally adoptedchildren under age 18 andun- Unless another election becomes valid, revocation married; and unmarried children over 18 who are amounts to termination of RSFPP coverage. incapable of self-supportbecause of physicalor NavPersForm 1740/5-“Election of Options mental illness thathad existed beforethe age Under the Retired Serviceman’s Family Protection of 18. Plan.” Official form onwhich all elections under Children inSchool-Children betweenages 18 RSFPP should be submitted.

ALL HANDS I 44 Base Closures andUnit Relocations- Homeowners Assistance Programn

WHEN A naval installation is shut down or a ship’s Other factors play a part in qualifying for Home- home port is changed as a result of a DOD base owners Assistance. For instance, the type of home oc- closureor reduction in force, it couldmean that a cupied. Your residence must be a one- or two-family number of Navymenmight find themselveson the dwelling which you owned and occupied at the time move. You might very well be included. of the closure announcement,your transfer oryour If so, and you’re a family man, no doubt the family termination of employment,whichever. Insofar as will move with you. If you own your house or are buy- trailer houses or mobilehomes are concerned,they ing one, and don’t intend to rent it out, you’ll probably generally do not qualify since they can be readily re- want to put it up for sale. moved from the property. Yoursuccess in selling theproperty will depend There are three ways you may receive Homeown- largely on demand, however, and this may be less in ers Assistance. Which youchoose is up to you. One cases where installations are closed. Other persons are method is to take cash payment to cover part of your certain to list houses for sale, also. losses resulting from a private sale of your home. An- On the chance that you do experience difficulty get- other way is to sell your house to the government. Or, ting a reasonable price for your house,don’t be dis- you may be paid back for losses you have incurred or mayed. You may have an ace-in-the-hole by qualifying expect to incur as a result of the foreclosure of a mort- for certain benefits available through the Department gage on the house. of Defense Homeowners Assistance Program. Here, in depth, are your choices: Under this program, unit relocations and homeport If you have sold your house, the amount to be paid changes would entitle you to assistance only if the re- to youcannot be morethan the difference between location were thedirect result of“a DOD-directed (a) 95 per cent of the fair market value of the prop- base closure or reduction in force of a particular instal- ertybefore the closureannouncement and (b) the lation.Routine home port changes directed as a re- fair market value at the time of the sale or the actual sult of normal military consideration would not qualify. sales price, whichever is greater (The fairmarket Before any benefits can be received, however, cer- value is determined by government appraisal). tain conditions must be met by the homeowner as spe- For example, your house had a fair market value of cified in the HAP law - Public Law 89-754, Section $15,000 before the announcement was made that the 1013 - asthey were written into the law books in installation was to be closed. Ninety-five per cent of 1966. Here are some of the basic conditions. that figure is $14,250. If yousold thehouse for To reiterate, as a Navyman or Navy employee (other $12,000 and the fair market value at the time of the than a temporary employee serving under a time limi- sale was $11,000, the government wouldpay you tation) you may qualify if your service assignment or $2250. yourjob is ended as aresult of a closure. You may also qualify if you are transferred after the closure announcement is made, but before the installation’s gates are closed, if the position you occupied will be eventu- ally vacated by the closure. Undersuch conditions, however, you musthave been serving or employed at the installation when the closure was announced or at least serving or employed there within six months before the announcement. This conditionapplies also togovernment workerswhose employment ended as a result of a reduction in force -RIF. In the event you were transferred from the installa- Inother words, thedifference between $14,250 tion for an overseas tour unaccompanied by your de- and the sales price of $12,000. pendents,within 15 monthsbefore the closure an- On the other hand, if the sales price was $10,000, nouncementwas made, you would also qualify for you would receive $3250 from the government,the Homeowners Assistance. differencebetween $14,250 (the 95 percent) and To qualify fully, however, you mustrelocate your thefair market value ($11,000) atthe time of the home beyond a normal commuting distance from the sale. home you vacated,or be able to show that such a To magnify some of the small print within the pro- move would place you in such financial ‘hardship that gram, a cash payment will not be made on property youwould be unableto meet your mortgagepay- that is federallyinsured or that carries afederally ments and related expenses. guaranteed mortgage, unless the mortgage is paid be.-

OCTOBER 1969 45 foreor at the time thatthe Homeowners Assistance payment is made. Nor will payment be made if the mortgage isassumed by apurchaser other than one who satisfactorily meets the requirements of the federal agency backing up the mortgage.

Selling ToThe Government If you still own your dwelling, you may choose to sell it to the government. However, the amount to be paid to you cannot be more than 90 per cent of the fairmarket value of theproperty before the closure announcement, less theamount of the mortgage or foreclosureaction wasstarted after the basic an- mortgages. The government will assume these mort- nouncement was made to close the installation. In any gages. case, the lawreads thatpayments cannot be paid In case your mortgage balances are greater than 90 for any foreclosure action begun before 3 Mar 1967. per cent of the fair market value at the time of the Any action begun on or after that date would quali- announcement, the government will take overyour fy payments just as if you disposed of theproperty property and your mortgage liabilities, but it will not by private sale. giveyou any cash payment.Under certain circum- If you believe you qualify for Homeowners Assist- stances, youmay berequired to give evidence that ance, ask yourcareer counselor or personnel officer you tried to sell the property to others before offering (industrial relations officer, in the case of government itto the government. service workers) to provide you a claims application 1.f your property has been foreclosed, you may be (DD Form 1607). reimbursed for amounts paidout as a result of the Afteryou have filled in all thedetailed informa- foreclosure. This reimbursement may cover one of two tion, return the form to him for verification of your losses: eitherthe direct costs of the foreclosure and service (or employment) records. He, in turn, will costs of expenses and liabilities enforceable under the mail it tothe appropriate claims office which will terms of the loan agreement for the house; or mort- notify you when your application is received. gagedebts filed against you bya federal agency. Tf I,f the claims applications are not available at your these debts have not yet been paid, the government command, they may be obtained at any one of the 18 may pay them on your behalf. Homeowners Assistance Field Offices, a list of which is Such foreclosure paymentscannot be made unless contained in SecNavInst 11101.70 of 14 Mar 1968.

Fleet Movie Roundup

Here's a list of recently released 16-mm feature mo- More Dead Than Alive (C) : Western; Clint Walk- tion pictures available to ships and overseas bases from er, Vincent Price. the Navy Motion Picture Service. The Sunshine Patriot (C) : Drama; Cliff Robertson, Movies in color aredesignated by (C) and those Dina Merrill. in wide-screen processes by (WS). Swan Slade (C): Drama;Troy Donahue, Connie Skidoo (WS) (C): Comedy; JackieGleason, Carol Stevens. Channing. Malaga: Drama;Trevor Howard, Dorothy Dan- The Man Outside (WS)(C) : Mystery Drama; dridge. Van Heflin, Peter Vaughan. The Magus (WS) (C) : Drama;Anthony Quinn, Backtrack (C) : Western; Neville Brand, James Michael Caine. Drury. The Deuil's 8 (C): Action Drama;Christopher Escape to Mindanao (C): War Drama; George Ma- George, Fabian. haris, James Shigeta. Tiger by the Tail (C): Drama; Christopher George, They Came to Rob Lus Vegas (WS) (C): Drama; Tippi Hedren. Gary Lockwood, Elke Sommer. The Stranger Returns (C): Western;Tony An- Sinful Davey (WS)(C) : Comedy;John Hurt, thony, Dan Vadis. Pamela Franklin. The Sound of Music (WS) (C): Musical; Julie An- Serjen Golden Men (C): Action Drama; Rossana drews, Christopher Plummer. Podesta, Phillippe Leroy. The First Time (C): Comedy;Jacqueline Bisset, The Sound of Anger (C) : Mystery Drama; Burl Wes Stern. Ives, James Farentino. African Safari (C) : Document,ary; Ronald E. My Side of the Mountain (WS) (C) : Adventure Shanin. Drama; Theodore Bikel, Ted Eccles. Kiss the Other Sheik (C): Comedy; Marcello Mas- Riot (C): Drama; Jim Brown, Gene Hackman. troianni, Pamela Tiffin.

46 ALL HANDS U. S. Currency Replaces MPCs in Japan commanding officer will outline the officer’s progress MPCs are a thing of the past in Japan-but there’s in his assignment. still a restriction onusing greenbacks there. Eight to 12 months before the officer is due to be According to SecNavNote 7210, regular U. S. cur- rotated or released from active duty, he will be inter- rencyhas replaced Military Payment Certificates as viewed on his potential for career service. Then a fi- the medium of exchange for American bases and fa- nalinterview, within three months of thetime he cilities inJapan. Navymen visiting in Japan will no leaves, will ensure that he has had access to all possi- longerhave tochange greenbacks for MPCs when bleinformation in making his plans. arriving, thenreverse the processon their departure The junior officer’s wife hasn’t beenforgotten ei- from Japan. ther. The counseling program includeseffor’ts to let her However, by agreement between the Japanese and know of the contributionher husband is making to Americangovernments, there is still one restriction: the command,and of her role as part of the Navy You may not use anything larger than a $20 bill. Any family. Navyman entering Japan with larger bills in his pos- session mustchange them for $20 or smaller bills within 48 hours.Clubs, messes, exchanges, commis- PO3 Exam Set for November saries, andhousing and billeting facilities arenot Want to start the newyear with a new crow on your authorized to accept bills larger than $20. arm? Take the PO3 test on 4 November. And of course, youmay notuse greenbacks for To be eligible to compete in the November exam, off-base shopping. The only money acceptable in Jap- you must be in pay grade E-3; you must have com- anese businesses is yen. pleted all requiredcorrespondence courses, practical factors, and performance tests; you must have passed the MilitaryILeadership exam for P03; you must meet That Attendance Card Is Important the citizenship, security andother requirements for Severalthousand veterans and active-duty service- your rate; and, of course, you must be recommended men who are attending school under the GI Bill will for advancement by your commanding officer. not receive the check they expect in November-sim- As a rule, you must serve six months in pay grade ply because they forgot to send in the nFessary card. E-3 before you may be advanced to P03. However, if Many servicemenand veterans who were enrolled you are otherwise qualified for advancement, you may in college last semesterhave failed to send in their receive a waiver of the time-in-grade requirement. If end-of-term Certification of Attendancecard. They your waiver is granted-as it will be in the great ma- cannot be paid in the upcoming school term until they jority ofcases-the onlypay,grade requirement you do. must fulfill is to be serving in pay grade E-3 on the If thestudent has losthis card,he shouldget in date of the test. touchwith the VA office whichhas his recordsand Normally, all courses, practical factors and perfor- ask for another. mance tests must be completed at least a month before the exam. However, men who receive a waiver of the

Career Counseling Program for Officers The Navy’s officer careercounseling program has been given greater emphasis. In an effort to improve junior officers’ morale and performance, as well as to motivate promising officers toward career service, commands will provide counseling at intervals of a year, or more oftenin certain cases. Every officer inthe rank of lieutenant and below will be interviewed by his commanding officer or his representativewhen he reports to the command, at least onceayear thereafter, and twicebefore he leaves the command. In the case of ensigns and lieutenants junior grade there will be a second counseling session six months after reporting aboard and annually afterthat. time-in-graderecluiremeni need only complete them At the reporting interview, the junior officer will be before the day of the test. encouraged to discuss his backgroundand interests, If youtook the August exam and don’t yet know will learn how his billet contributes to the command, whether or not you made rate, you may take the No- and will be informed how he can get career informa- vember exam as a backup-providing, of course, that tion. you’re still eligible for advancement. Oncea year-or moreoften-during his touron Advancementsfrom the November examwill be board, he will be given anopportunity to express made in January, February and March. One of them opinions on his duties and discusshis career goals. The may be yours.

OCTOBER 1969 47 some otherprogram, such as early release to attend college. A few yeomen, personnelmen, disbursing clerks and corpsmen who are eligible for early separation might Here Are the Facts on Navy’s Program not get it at the usual time. Since these men may be For Eorly Releases and Retention needed to help process all the other men being separated,naval district commandants may defertheir BY NOW you’ve probably heard about the big early- separations until later-but no later than 30 December. out program. About 33.,000 enlisted men and 4000 Operational holds on any men in other ratings must officers are being released early. be approved by fleet commanders. But in case you’ve been confused by all the rumors Full veterans’ benefits for the amount of active time thatspring up aroundsuch anevent, here are some served will be available to separatedmen. Reservists facts. who receive early outs will be subject to recall to active Cuts in the Navy’s budget have made it necessary duty onthe same basisas if theyhad served their to reduce spending by a billion dollars this fiscal year. full two years. To do it, more than 100 old ships have been or will be Because of the huge load of separation processing, decommissioned; training and other non-combat opera- some drilling Reservists will assist during regular actions havebeen cut back; and the manpower of the tive for training periods and drills. Those to be utilized Navy will be reduced by 68,000 enlisted men and 4000 will include the Fleet Mobilization Processing Teams officers by the end of the fiscal year in June. and members of medical,dental, Supply and their NavOp messages 36 and 37, sent out in late August, programs. gave the rules on early releases. Here are the details. And a final word: You don’t haveto accept your Except as noted below, men on active duty, Regular early release if you don’t want it. The Navy wants to or Reserve, whose Expiration of Active Obligated Ser- keep its career men, so anyone who wants to complete vice (EAOS) wasscheduled for November1969 his full hitch will be allowed to do so. through March 1970 are being separated one to three Theaverage age of the ships to beinactivated is months early according to this schedule: 24.6 years. As the Navy’s shipbuilding program pro- ceeds,a more modern Navy may beanticipated. In arecent issue of Tides and Currents Vice Admiral Duncan stated, “As we build new ships for the Navy, we will also have an opportunity to build higherquali- ty intoour personnel. As anexample, we can make our petty officer corps an even more elite and selective group. We want and need only those highly motivated career professionals. We all havean opportunity to make thesereductions work to ouradvantage and I count on each of you for . . . personal effort directed toward that goal.” However, the followingmen were not eligible for early outs under this program: Officers Men now attached to units of the Sixth or Seventh Officers releases presenteda different problem. Fleets. If otherwise eligible for early separation, they For one thing, since officer promotions come on a will be released either at their normal EAOS or within reasonablyuniform schedule, BuPers couldn’t simply 30 days of their unit’s return from deployment, which- release a block of officers from one or two year groups. ever is earlier. To do so wouldleave a “valley” in the officer com- Seabees.However, separate instructions provide munity for decades to come, leaving the Navy short for separation up to 14 months early for men in con- of lieutenants ( jg. ) now, lieutenants a. couple of years struction ratings returningfrom in-country Vietnam , fromnow, lieutenantcommanders a few years after tours and up to nine months early for other Seabees. that, and so on through the ranks. Men on in-country Vietnamtours or in non-rotating That’s onereason theoffiqxs releasedwere from ships. As in the case of Seabees, these men have sep- all the year groups from 1963 to 1970-a range that arate early-out programs, allowing separation as much gave some very early releases while some others were as a year early on returning from an in-country tour. kept in the service for a full tour. Men scheduled for retirementor transfer to the Ratherthan taking a wholesale approach, distrib- Fleet Reserve. utors in BuPers carefully scrutinizedthe records of Reservists undergoing active duty for training. some 9000 officers before deciding on the 4000 to be Aliens who do not have a Reserve obligation, but released. They took into accounteach officer’s per- who want to qualify for U. S. citizenship by complet- formance, his potential for augmentation, the need for ing three years of military service. If they do have a his billet, andthe deployment status of his unit in Reserve obligation, these men may be eligible for early making their choices. separation, since Reserve time counts toward the citi- The great majority of the officers released early are zenship qualifications. Reservists. Most of themwere chosen from among Anyone who is receiving early separationunder those whose scheduledrelease from active duty (RAD)

48 All HANDS was in this fiscal year-for instance, aviators in YG 65 Areyou on active duty as a USNor a USNR? and 1105s in YG 67. Are you serving in pay grade E-4 or do you ex- The only Regular officers affected are those whose pect to be selected for advancement to E-4 as a result resignations were deferred under NavOp14. Generally, of the August1970 examination? they are being releasedearlier than their deferred date, Will you be at least 20 but not 24 years of age by but later than their original requested date. 1 Jul 1971? (Waivers of the upper age limit may be The following officers werenot eligible for early granted on the basis of one year overage for each year release: of college credits which arefully transferable to a Officers serving in Vietnam. NESEP curriculum.) Nuclear-trained submarine officers. Are you a high school graduate or have you com- Officerswho were determined by the Chief of pleted three years of high school and possess the GED NavalPersonnel to be “essential to commandfunc- equivalent,with a minimum grade in the75th per- tions.” centile or above in each of the test areas? If you have received early-release orders but do not want to leave the Navy, you may request cancellation of the orders if you are willing to augment orto extend your active duty a year or more beyond your normal RAD. In general, you can expect your request to be granted if you have a good performance record. However, officers who areordered out early and whorequest to stay inonly until their normal RAD cannot expect approval. Such deferrals would oppose the objective of the early-release program, which is to save the money the Navy has been directed to save. A full discussion of the officer early-release program isin a special issue of ‘the Officer Personnel News- letter, published in Septemberabout the same time asthe release orders. Although the bulk of early officer releases will have occurred in Septemberand October 1969, early re- Do you havea combined GCT/ARI score of at leases will continue(in smaller numbers) from No- least 115? vember 1969 through June 1970. If all your answers are yes, and you believe you have the potential and wish to obtain a college degree, then set your course for a career as an officer in the Navy If You Have Set Your Goal for NESEP, tomorrow, and follow through by learning all the de- 1971 Will Be the Year of Opportunity tails about NESEP in BuPersInst 1510.69M. Deadline for the1970 NESEP application was 1 October. Did you make it? CorrespondenceCourses If not, consider your loss a gain. You now have a full Twenty-threenew or revised enlisted and officer year in which to prepare for the 1971 session. correspondencecourses are now available for enroll- In case you are a newcomer to the acronym NESEP, ment from the Naval Correspondence Course Center, it stands for Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Pro- Scotia, N. Y. 12302. They are: gram, a means through which outstanding petty offi- ECC Airmun, NavPers 91600-D. cers on active duty mayachieve a college education ‘0 ECC Aviation Boatswain’s Mate E 3 and 2, Nav- and an appointment to commissioned status. Pers 91678-B. Under NESEP, you will receive up to four years of ECC Aviation FireControl Technician 1 and C, uninterrupted education in one of 22 universities. Be- NavPers 91635-2A. Confidential. tween your junior and senior years, you will attend 10 ECC Aviation Support Equipment Technician H 3 weeks of officer training at the Naval Officer Candidate and 2, NavPers 91409. School at Newport, R. I. When you complete all re- ECC Aviation Support Equipment Technician LM quirements, you will be awarded a baccalaureate de- 3 and 2, NavPers 91408. gree in the field of science, engineering, or mathe- ECC BasicMilitary Requirements, NavPers matics and an appointment as an ensign in the Regu- 91202-1D. lar Navy. ECC Commissaryman 3 and 2, NavPers91441- Judging from the basic eligibility requirements for 1-E. the 1970 applicants, who should have submitted their ECC Communications Yeoman 3, NavPers 91407- applications between 1 July and 1 October this year, A. you no doubt next year will be required to answer yes ECC Fireman, NavPers 91500-2D. to all of these questions: ECC Fire Control Technician G 3 and 2, NavPers Are you a citizen of the U. S. by birth or by natu- 91341. ralization? ECC Instrumentman 1 and C, NavPers 91385-1A.

OCTOBER 1969 49 designatedby the Secretary of the Navy,during all or part of which you were serving in the combat zone. Forexample, a man who served in the area of hostilities continuouslyfrom 14 Aug1967 through 3 hlay 1968 could wear three bronze stars on his Viet- nam Service Medal: one each for the Vietnamese Coun- teroffensive Phase 111, the Tet Counteroffensive, and the Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase IV. However, a man who was in the combat zone from 14 Aug 1967 to 20 Jan 1968 would only be authorized one star, since the only campaign he participated inwas the VietnameseCounteroffensive Phase 111. If you served in five campaigns, you should dis- playone silver starinstead of five bronze stars. For six, wear one silver star and one bronze; and so on, adding a bronze star for each campaign. It should be noted that only service in the.combat zone counts. If your ship or unit was in the States, for instance, during the Tet offensive, you do not rate a star for that campaign, even if you made a deployment to Vietnam just before or after that time. ECC Machine Accountant 3 and 2, NavPers Those who served in Vietnam between 1 Ju1 1958 91274-1A. and 14 Mar 1962 and elected to receive the Vietnam ECC Machinery Repairman 1 and C, NavPers Service Medal insteadof the Armed Forces Expedition- 91509-2B. ary Medal should not wear a bronze star on the Viet- ECC Military Requirements for Petty Officer 3 nam Service Medal. and 2, NavPers 91206-G. Everyonewho has earned the VietnamService ECC Missile Technician 1 and C, NavPers 91361- Medal is entitled to at least one star. You may wear 1. one for service in each of these campaigns: ECC Seaman, NavPers 91240-1G. ECC Signalman 3 and 2, NavPers 91291-F. ECC Steward 3 G 2, NavPers 91693-2F. ECC Torpedoman’s Mate 3 G 2, NavPers 91297- E. OCC Military Justice in the Navy, NavPers 10993- A. 0 OCC Navy Admiralty Law Practice, NavPers 10725-A. OCC Office of the Judge Advocate General, Nav- Pers10723-2. Wide Range of Choices Offered OCC Uniform Code of Military Justice, NavPers After a Tour of Vietnam Duty 10971-4. Whatcan you expectafter a Vietnam tour? Here Scratched from the enrollment list were the follow- are a few of the benefits available: ing courses: 30 days’ leave. Naval Construction Forces, NavPers 10745-A. Coast of choice if you’re eligible for seaduty. Education and Training, NavPers 10965-€3. (You musthave 16 months’obligated service if you 0 Naval Electronics, Part (NavPers 10446-1) and I1 request the Atlantic Fleet.) Part III (NavPers10447). Assignment to aunit which is notscheduled to deploywithin three months of thedate you report. BronzeStars on Vietnam Service Priority consideration for assignment to schools Medal Determined by Campaigns for which you are qualified, eligible and recommended. Howmany bronze stars can you wearon your First consideration-after Seavey eligibles-for as- Vietnam Service Medal? signment to preferred overseas shore duty. Answer: One for each of the nine campaign periods Priority assignment to shore duty if you’re eligible listed below during which you served in the combat for Seavey. zone-either onboard ship or in-country.SecNav Early separation, if you want out, provided your Notice 1650 of 28 Jul 1969 announced desi nation of enlistment expires within six months after your TCD. the seventh, eighth and ninth campaigns, wa ich have Detailson these benefits, andother information been added to the list. aboutreassignment for enlisted menafter one-year Contrary to some popular notions, youdon’t rate tours in Vietnam,are found in BuPersNotice 1306 onestar for eachVietnam cruise or in-country tour. of 26 Jun 1969. (Hospital corpsmen and Seabees are Astar represents any one of the ninecampaigns, affected by other notices in the 1306 series; therefore,

50 ALLHANDS some provisions of the notice given in this article may a health-care program at his new job. not apply to these two groups.) To help out during thetransition period, the Depart- Assignment of Vietnam returnees to specific home ment of Defense has arranged with two companies- ports, type ships, or units cannot be guaranteed; but Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Mutualof Omaha-to estab- everything possible will be done to meet their wishes, lish short-term plans providing coverage for the first considering the needs of the Navy. 90 days after separation. If you’re eligible for Seaveyand want instructor Both programs are voluntary. The Navyman being or recruiter duty, you’ll get first consideration. PO% separated can choose either one-or may decide not to and above who request instructor duty may apply for take either. The government does not recommend or a waiver of up to 10 points in the GCT requirement. endorseeither plan; it only makes themavailable to For recruiting assignments, men in the following rates anyone who wants them on separation. are in demand: BM1, SM1, “1, GMG1, ENC, EN1, The program is available to all Navy members being BT1, SF1 and CS1. separated from active duty, regardless of the character Except in thecase of hospital corpsmenand Sea- of separationor discharge, onor after 1 Sep 1969- bees, a man who completes a Vietnam tour will not except those who have been on active duty for training normally be assigned an involuntary second tour with- or who are retiring. in three years without specific approval by the Chief Coverage provisions of the two plans differ consid- of Naval Personnel. He might, however, be assigned to erably. For instance, the Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan arotating unit which isin Vietnam for periods less offers regular benefits for maternity care; the Mutual thana year during deployments. And if hewants a of Omahaprogram does not include maternity care. second tour, he may request one. Details of bothplans are listed in anenclosure to The midpoint of a year’s tour in Vietnam is an im- BuPers Note 1760 or 27 Jun 1969. The Navyman be- portant deadline. It is the last time youmay update ingseparated will receiveinformation on both pro- or change your duty preferences, ask for an overseas grams while he is checking out. tour extension, or request early separation. Costs of the plans, like prices of anything, are subject to change. The most recent figures for the Blue Health Insurance Made Available for Cross/Blue Shield 90-day coverage are $16.50 for the 90-Day Post-Separation Period serviceman alone, or $90 for the whole family. Mutual The Navy and its sister services are hdping to close of Omaha charges $30 for the serviceman, $34 for his a gap in health care for members being separated. spouse,and $13 for each child, witha maximum Medical care for a serviceman and his dependents charge of $103 for the entire family. under the UniformedServices Health Benefits Program If you choose to participate, you must fill out appli- ends atmidnight of theday the serviceman is dis- cationforms and pay the full premiumat your discharged or separated from active duty. (Contrary to a bursing office beforeleaving the separation activity. popular notion, awife who is pregnantat the time Payment may be by deduction from your pay or by herhusband is separatedor discharged does not re- postal money ordermade out to theinsurance com- ceive maternity care at government expense.) It often pany. In either case, your disbursing officer will for- takes two or three months to gain benefits from joining ward payment to the company.

Fleet on Lookout for Lady Whale

Eors in the First Fleet were straining for o femalesound but notthe kind which seogoing types usually pine for. These Novy- men were listeningfor the telttole signol ofradio and sonar beacons ottoched by morinebiologists to o ladywhole. Thescientists requested the Navy alert after hoving attached beacons tothe seagoing mammal ot a position some 300 miles southeastof Son Diego os portof on effort to learnmure obout themigratory patterns of gray wholes. Whenthe rerearchers lost contact with their 40-foot female friend,they requested orsistonce from Commander First Fleet whoobliged by ordering Navy ships operoting in southern Coli- forniawaters to report information concerning the whole’s where- abouts. The lady’s bottery-powerednoisemakers, according to First Fleetreports, were transmitting 900-cyclea note every holf- second on citizen‘s bond at o frequency of27.195 megohertz. Whenthe wholesubmerged, she sent o sonarsignol which Navy ships could detect. Thegreat gray whole was lost seenproceeding in o north- westerlydirection at asedate fourknots, blissfully unaware that port ofthe Navy’s First Fleetwos looking for her.

OCTOBER 1969 51

Officersand enlisted men on divingduty a- entitledto rpe- cia1 diving pay.

Incentive pay hazardousfor duty goes to submariners,avia- torsand those on parachute and UDT duty.

Navymen at work, ashoreand afloat.

Sea duty pay is coated with sproy, os illustratedtheseIn photos.

53 formance, awards of $30 monthly may be paid under certain conditions to recruit company commanders, recruit canvassers and evasion and escape technicians. Details of pro pay administration and eligibility re- quirementsare contained in BuF’ers Inst.1430.12 series (and ALL HANDS,April and June 1969). Physicians’ and Dentists’ Pay -Medical and dental officers receive career incentive pay as long as they re- main on activeduty. Payments range from $100 to $350 monthly, dependingon yearsof service. ReenlistmentBonus-You may be paid as much as $2000 in bonus money for reenlistments (and extensions of two years or more)during the course of yourNavy career. A regular bonus generally ispaid when you reenlist within three months of discharge or separation,and is computed as follows: First reenlistment. Amount equal to your monthly base pay at time of dischargemultiplied by the number of years for which you reenlist.

Second reenlistment. Amount equal to two-thirds Overseas pay is awarded to enlistedpersonnel. Here they prepare of your base pay, ,multiplied by the number of years to exchange money before going on liberty. for which you reenlist. Third reenlistment. One-third base pay multiplied maximum. It is paid only at the time of entitlement to by number of years for which you reenlist. a first reenlistment bonus. Fourthand subsequent reenlistments.One-sixth Basic eligibility for a variablebonus includes 21 monthly base pay, multiplied by the number of years months of continuous active service other than active of reenlistment. duty for training, and reenlistment within three months In addition to the regular bonus, youmay receive of discharge. payment of basic pay for unused leave and applicable The multiplier used in figuring the amount of the quarters and sdbsistence allowances, as well as travel bonus may be one, two, three or four times the amount pay to home of record, each time you reenlist. Only of the regular first reenlistment bonus, depending on the bonusitself countsagainst the $2000 cumulative thegrade of criticality assignedyour ratingor NEC you may receive in the course of your active duty. skill at the time of reenlistment. BuPers Inst. 1133.18 VariableReenlistment Bonus-If your military skill is series lists ratingsand skills eligible fora variable onedesignated as critical for reenlistment purposes, bonus. based onrating and NEC code skill, youmay ship over and receive as much as four times the amount of Allowances your regular first reenlistment bonus (or two-year ex- Allowances are paid to help you meet some of the tension), in addition to the regular bonus. expensesyou incur while on active duty. Allowances A variable bonus does not count against the $2000 may bepaid on a monthly or recurring basis, or in one-timelump sums.Some arepaid automatically; Careerincentive pay goes to medicaland dental officers to com- others require application by you. pensatefor long years of education and specialized kaining. ClothingAllowance -You receive an initial clothing allowancewhen you enlist, andunder certain conditions upon reenlistment or recall to active duty. You may be further eligible to receive specialor civilian clothing allowances, dependingon your duty assignments. Once you receive an initial or special clothing allowance,you may receive a monthly maintenance allowance. Thereare several types of clothing allowances basedon actual costs for clothing, as determined by Navy and Department of Defense study groups. Here are the clothing allowance rates which became effective 1 Ju1 1969: Initial Clothing Monetary Allowance (ICMA). Generally reflects the cost of a seabag for recruits. The individual’s payaccount is creditedwith the allowance, and clothing issues arecharged against it.Enlisted men, $200.65;enlisted women, $339.68; navalaviation cadets and aviation officer candidates, $281.22,

54 ALL HANDS Portia1Initial Monetary Allowance. Reflects cost of completing a seabag for Reservists upon reporting for active duty. Enlistedmen, $54.52; enlisted women, $176.82; navalaviation cadets reverting to enlisted status, $158.16. month deployment. BasicMaintenance Allowance (BMA). Monthly allowance included in regular pay during first three years of active duty.Enlisted men, $4.80; enlisted women, $5.70. StandardMaintenance Allowance (SMA). Regular monthly allowance included in pay after three years of service. Enlistedmen, $6.60; enlisted women, $8.40. All women chief petty officers receive $8.40 monthly SMA. Men receive $6.60 per month for the first three years as a CPO, and then $8.40 monthly thereafter. Special ICMA. This allowance is for those who must wear clothing of a type not required by the majority of Navy men and women. It goes to Navy Bandsmen, for example, and usually is paid to men upon advancement to chief petty officer. Rates vary, depending on individual conditions of entitlement, but most special ICMAs are lump sum payments of $350. He is coming home. Enlisted men promoted to warrant or commissioned status may be entitled to special uniform allowances, with the amounts varied according to individual cases. Officers serving under permanent, Regular Navy ap- pointments do not receive clothing allowances. Reserve officers may be entitled to uniform allowances under circumstancesdescribed in Part 3 of the DOD En- titlements Manual. Subsistence Allowance-Officers are entitled to an allowance for subsistence atthe rate of $47.88 per month,regardless of rankor dependency status. All officers, on ship or ashore, married or single, draw the subsistence allowance and pay their own mess bills. The subsistenceallowance for enlisted personnel, commonly calledcomrats (commuted rations), is usually limited to married men who live off base with their families andare granted permission to mess awayfrom their duty stations. However,entitlement to comrats is not automatic; you must apply and your eligibility must be verified beforethe allowance will show up in your pay. Effective 1 Jan 1969, the daily value of commuted rations is $1.32. This rate also applies to hospital, field andleave rations. If you draw comrats, you may be permitted to eat in your base mess hall at a reasonable price. Effective 1Jan 1969, charges for meals are: breakfast, $.27; din- ner, $.60; supper, $.45. If you’re assignedto certain types of shoreduty, such as recruiting duty, you may be entitled to draw $2.57 per day subsistence allowance if no government messing facility is available. However, geographic area andtype of duty enter into yourentitlement fora subsistence allowance, which is determined On an individual basis. Fomily SeparationAllowonce -You draw this allowance when you’re separated from your dependents for

OCTOBER 1969 ’ overseasduty. Ifyou’re on Officer BAQ. Officers in grade 0-3 (lieutenant) and permanentoverseas duty (including Alaska but not below normally receive a BAQ only when government Hawaii), youmay receivea monthly separation al- quartersare not available. Thismeans thatofficers lowance equal to the BAQ payable to men without de- withoutdependents who are assigned to shipboard pendents in yourgrade provided the movement of duty, and to stations that have bachelor officer quar- yourdependents to your overseas station is notau- ters, do not receive a quarters allowance. thorized, governmentquarters are not available, and Those in grade 0-4 (lieutenantcommander) and your dependents do not in fact reside with you. above without dependents may elect to receive, BAQ If you’re in grade E-4 (over four years’ service) or rather than occupy available government housing un- above, have dependents, and are entitled to BAQ, you less assigned duties which require on-base residencv. may receive a monthly allowance of $30 if you are on Officers who have dependents are entitled to BAQ shipboard duty away from your home port for a con- whetherthey are serving ashore, at sea oroverseas, tinuous period of more than 30 days, or if you are on unless “rent free” government quarters are provided. temporary duty ortemporary additional duty away Enlisted BAQ. The BAQ for enlisted men without fromyour permanent station for more than 30 days dependents ranges from $60.00 to $85.20 per month. andyour dependents do not accompany you. However, if you have no dependents, you are entitled Also, anytime the movement of yourdependents to BAQ onlywhen government quarters are not avail- to yourpermanent station or a placenear your station able, such as when on recruiting duty or other inde- is notauthorized at governmentexpense, and they do pendent typeduty. not in fact residewith you, youmay receive the $30 Withdependents, you areentitled to amonthly monthlyfamily separation allowance. BAQ regardless of yourpaygrade. You entitledare to LumpSum LeavePayment -Upondischarge, transfer this allowancewhether serving ashore, at sea or over- tothe Fleet Reserve or retirement, youmay cash in on seas. However, if you occupygovernment quarters, yourunused accumulated leave, up to a maximum of youmay be required to forfeit all or part of your BAQ, 60 days, for alump sum paymentbased on the fol- dependingon the type of quarters. lowing: Amountslowing: gradesBAQ pay ofwith vary chart). (see Officers. Basic payand bask allowances for quar- Ifyou’re an E-4 (lessthan four years’ service)or be- ters and subsistenceapplicable on date of separation. low, thenumber of dependents you have also affects Enlisted. Basic payon date of separation,plus an your BAQ rate. allowance of 70 cents per day for subsistence and, if in grade E-5 or above and have dependents, an allowance for quarterscomputed atthe rate of $1.25per Dislocation Allowance-You may be entitled to receive day. a day. dislocationone allowanceto equal BAQ month‘s ils a member with dependents or as a member without dependents. Basic Allowance for Quarters (BAQI-If you’re a family Dislocation allowance is payable to a member with man anddo not reside in governmentquarters, a dependentsprovided he isin paygrade E-4 (with monthly BAQ provides rent money for you and your more than four years’ service) or above whenever he denendents. relocates his dependents’household in connectionwith I

Special ICMA goes to thosewho must wearuniforms of atype not required by majoritya of Navypersonnel, suchas bandsmen. I

When this carrierthisWhen moved its I homeport its hangar deck was loaded up with crewmen’s cars for the journey.

ALL HANDS permanent change-of-station orders or whenever a member without dependents is transferred to a permanent duty station where he is not assigned to government quarters. The allowance is notautomatic. Application will normally besubmitted after you arrive at your new permanentduty station and any dependents’ move has beencompleted. Chapter IX of the JointTravel Regulations specifies conditions which govern payments.

Station Allowances-When assigned to duty overseas, Youdraw family separation allowance if separatedfrom your you may become eligible for one or more of four dif- dependents for reasonsof shipboard or overseas duty. , ferentstation allowances, dependingon a variety of factors such as location, your grade, the nature of your orders, whether your dependents accompany you, and the overseas housing and cost of living situation. In general, station allowances are paid to those on duty outsidethe U. S. todefray the differences between theaverage cost at a specific overseas station and the average stateside costs - when the overseas costs are greater. JointTravel Regulations contains specific instructions onconditions under which station allowances may be paid. Application forsuch an allowance is usually required,and in view of varyingconditions based on the dependents accompanying you. and rates, you should check with your disbursing of- ficerwhen reporting for overseas duty to find out Travel Allowance-There are any number of travel sit- about station allowances, if any, for your area. The al- uations you might face while on active duty for which lowances are reviewed each year and may be subject the Navy will pay the expenses or will reimburse you to change at any time. Generally, however, station al- with appropriate travel allowances. lowancesmost commonly involve: Generally, any time you must travel under orders, Housing and Cost of Living Allowances (HA and COLA). the Navy pays for transportation. If you have de- These help to defray the average excess costs you face pendents and are in pay grade E-4 (over four ydiirs’ whileon permanent duty overseas. The excess costs service) or above, your familymay travel at govern- are figured by comparing the average costs of living ment expense when you receive permanent change of and housing ineach overseas area with. the average station orders. costs of living and housing in the United States. HA One popular method of travel between duty stations and COLA arepayable at area rateslisted in Joint is when you driveyour own car,pay yourown ex- Travel Regulations. penses, and then ask for reimbursement.Under this system, you get six cents a mile for your own travel, Interim Housing Allowance (IHA). This type of statiw plus six centsa mile for each dependentage 12 or allowance may be paid when you are required to pro- over (not to exceed two such dependents), and three cure nongovernment, family-type housing before your cents per mile for each dependent over five and under dependents arrive overseas. An IHA in an amount de- 12. The total reimbursement for dependents’ travel is termined by location may be paid for 60 days or until not to exceed 18 cents per mile. You collect your de- your dependents arrive at youroverseas station, which- pendents’ allowance after they have completed the ever is earlier. travel (you may usually draw your share of the allow- TemporaryLodging Allowance (TLA). The TLA is de- ance-six cents per mile-in advance). signed to reimburse you for extra expenses you incur You should check with your personnel and disburs- while “eating out” and living in hotel-type accommo- ing offices each time you receive transfer or travel or- dationswhile awaiting permanent housing afterre- ders and ask about mode of transportation, authorized porting overseas, or for brief‘er periods before depar- allowances, and dependent travel allowances. Depend- ture fromoverseas onpermanent change of station. ing on thenature of yourorders and whether your Although there are provisions for extensions of TLri, travel will be from one shore station to another, shore the allowance generally is paid for periods not to ex- station to a ship, shipto shore, shore or ship to restrict- ceed 60 daysupon reporting to an overseas station, ed station, or restricted station to ship or shore, there and not to exceed 10 days upon departure. Daily TLA maybe a variety of optionsregarding dependents’ ratesare determined by multiplyinga givenarea’s travel that you should discuss with your family well travel per diem allowanceby apercentage factor in advance.

OCTOBER I969 57 Medicare Overseas icarecoverage is limited to medical We were there. I remember seeing SIR: An officerwondered it’sif carereceived withintheUnited the pilotafter he landed;his face permissiblefor retired Navymen to States. (The onlyauthorized excep- wascovered with castoroil used to resideoverseas (ALL HANDS, July tion occurs in the rare situation when lubricate the radialengine. 1969 ). anemergency requiring hospitaliza- Thosedays bring back happy Sure,you replied, but you added tion of aneligible individual occurs memories for me. wasI the plane thatthose who do so losecertain WITHIN the UnitedStates, but the captain of theMF seaplane flying benefits,including both Social Se- nearesthospital adequatelyequipped overhead in the photo, of Shawmut. curityhealth insurance and, at age and available to treat the illness or I used to fly a lot with a Lieutenant 65, benefits under CHAMPUS (Civilian injury is located OUTSIDE the United Alexander.-Rudolph J. Schmidt,ex- Health and MedicalProgram of the States.) USN. Uniformed Services). However, if SocialSecurity deter- Anothersource tells me that are- mines youare not eligible for Social Thank you for sharing your mem- tiredserviceman who reaches age SecurityHospital Insurance benefits, ories of Shawmut and Texas. We’re 65 butotherwise is not eligible for youwill continueto be eligible for alwaysinterested in hearingabout the earlydays.-ED. medicareunder Social Security does CHAMPUS medical coverage both with- notlose his eligibility for CHAMPUS. inthe UnitedStates and overseas. Careto explain?-R.P. S., LCDR, Eligibility forSocial Security Hos- Variable Reenlistment Bonus USN. pitalInsurance does not affect your SIR: I am a Seabee. I fail to under- An individualwho atage 65 eligibility formedical care at Uni- stand why a DirectProcurement becomeseligible for Hospital Insur- formedServices facilities.-ED. Petty Officer is given a chance at the ance benefits under the Social Security variablereenlistment ‘bonus when a medicareprogram loses his eligibility Shawmut and Texas RegularNavyman, afterone enlist- for CHAMPUS (Civilian Health and SIR:In the Marchissue was a ment, is not. MedicalProgram of the Uniformed picture ofmy old ship, uss Shawmut I also wonder why a DPPO can go Services) benefits regardless of where (CM4)-later Oglala (ARG 1)- up for the next ratewithout waiting he lives. Hecannot choose between whichwas home to me from1919 the regularlength of timebetween CHAMPUS andSocial Security. untilshe went back to minelaying rates. For example, a DPPO need only As a retiredserviceman, you can from aviation duty. Then in the April servetwo years between first and resideoverseas and still be eligible issuewas the storyabout thefirst chief,whereas a Regular is required forSocial Security Hospital Insur- takeoffof aSopwith Camel froma to serve three years. ance.However, youcannot use this turret of the old Teras inMarch I hope you can .give me an expla- benefit becauseSocial Security med- 1919. nation.- W. L. S., CM1, USN.

0 It appears you have a mbconcep tionabout the variable reenlistment I It’s Not Worth It I bonus and theadvancement process. SIR:Not long ago I received a muster to avoid having my career The variable reenlistment bonus is personalletter from one of the ruinedby this one lapse ofjudg- an incentive to increase first-term re- sailorsin my former command. A ment. , . .” enlistments in designated critical skill portion of it is quoted below. Per- This young petty officer was in- areas. The reason, of course, is to en- haps it will convey a serious mes- volvedbecause of aone-time ex- courage men with rare skills to make sageto other s youngmen who perimentwhile on liberty in the Navy their career, and a bonus is mightbe tempted to experiment WESTPAC. He was a fine sailor who oneway of doing this. Whether or with dangerous drugs. became fouled up with the wrong not they areDPPOs has nothing to crowd.Hope you canpass the do with their receiving the bonus. “. . . I must now appear before word. Personnel who havepreviously re- a Field Board of officers, who may Keep up the goodwork-CAPT enlisted and collected a reenlistment recommend anything fromreten- J. T. S., USN. bonus are not eligible for VRB at the tion to undesirable discharge. Since second reenlistment even though their thatone thoughtless incident, I For more on this subject, see rating is on the VRB eligibility list. have never again been tempted to article beginning on page 14 of the Seabeeratings are presently eligi- take any. kind of drug . . . at this March1969 issue of ALLHANDS. ble for a VRB and individual require- pointIneed all the help Ican -ED. ments areidentical for both regular 1 1 Seabees and DPPO Seabees.

58 ALL HANDS As for advancement, there is m difference in the requirementsfor those who came into the Navy under the DPPOProgram and others. You may have thoughtthere was because all who passed the CPO exam were advanced if they ‘were in the criticalrates for which DPPOsare recruited. Actually, it’s just the low of supply and demand in operation.-ED.

RateAbbreviation on ID Card SIR: Thisone concerns ID cards for enlisted retirees and interpretation of a relevant reference, article B-2104 of the BuPers Manual. Someof the men in my officeare divided in their usage of abbreviations forthe “grade” blockof the Retired ID card. One side ofthe office maintains thatretireda chief, for example, should be identified as “POC,” show- ing that he’s a chief petty officer without indicating his rating specialty. On theother side, the PNs say the above approach to enlisted grade abbreviations is correct for active duty ID cards,but not for retired IDS. It is maintainedthat in thecase of a NAVY JAZZ-Thestage band from Naval Air Advanced Training Com- chief signalman, for example, the ID mand,Corpus Christi, swings as it participatesin Texas Jazz Festival. card should show POC while he’s on active duty, but SMC when he retires. andgrade combined, (personnelman awards during the competitive year I happen tobelong to the second 1st Class, or PNI). 1969. Ineffect this could eliminate school of interpretation. PayGrade-E-6. her from competition forthe Golden What’s yours?-P. J. B.,PN1, USN. PettyOfficer Grade-Petty Officer “E” forfive consecutive years of 1st Class, or Pol. (On ID cardsand excellence in operations. Same as yours. for certainadministrative purposes, Can you inform us what provisions The “BuPersManual” article you men in thelowest three grades are col- are made for waivers?-LCDR C. E. cite specifies“official rate abbreuia- lectively indicatedas “non-rated or LeedomJr., USN, ExecutiveOfficer, tion” for use on the RETIRED ID card “non-petty officer.”) uss Bradley (DE 1041 ). (DD Form 2N-Retired). The rateab- Pass it on.- ED. breviution of chiefa signalman is .It depends on what the Fleet SMC. Commander in Chief decides. In your Howeuer, on ACTIVE DUTY ID cards, E Awards and Drydock Waivers case,you may request a waiver from you show thepetty officer grade- SIR: In pasta issue, you men- CinCPacFltvia ComCruDesPac. P03, PO2, POI, POC, etc.-or “mn- tioned an instruction which provided OpNav Instruction 3590.4B of 2 petty officer,”as the case may he. information on waivers for ships Apr 1968 (which was summarized in You donot, under terms of the Geneva which have previously been awarded ALL HANDS, September 1968) states: Convention (andarticle B-2103, “Bu- operational awards, butwere pre- “Atthe discretion of the Fleet Com- Pers Manual”), indicate a man’s rating vented from competing in the current mander in Chief, ayear inwhich a (such as signalman) on his actiue duty competitive period because they were ship spends amajority of its time in ID card. undergoing an extended overhablor an overhaul or repair facility mybe Which leads to some definitions on major conversion. disregarded in determination of qual- which we whhall Navymen could get uss Bradley (DE1041) in the ificationfor five consecutive years.” together, and for which we’ll use you competitive year 1968 was awarded So you couldstill be in the run- as an example: theBattle Efficiency “E,” ASW ning for hashmarks to your“E”s, as Rating-This is youroccupational “A,” Operations “E” andEngineering long as CinCPacFltapproues. Con- specialty, (personnelman,abbreuiated “E.” However, becauseof recenta gratulations on Bradley’s pastper- PN). overhaul lasting nearly 10 months, formance, and best wishes for further Rate-Youroccupational specialty she was not able to compete for these success.-ED.

OCTOBER I969 59 theenemy, endangered bythe pro- jectiles, or involved in reactionsuch as movingaircraft into revetments are all eligible for the CAR. However, the whole squadron is not necessarily eligible, norare menin otherparts of the bade who arenot endangered by the attack. In the case of a smaller base, aheavy attack mightendan- ger the whole base; therefore, every- onein the baseduring the attack could be eligible. Personnel in riverineboats in a fire fight are eligiblefor theCAR regardless of whetherthe boat is hit or not. A hospitalcorspmun or Seabee serving with a Navy or Marine unit which comes under attack or other- wisebecomes eligible. A navalaviator who is engaged insurface combat. (Aerialexposure to hostile action is already recognized bythe Air Medal, andis therefore not a qualification for the CAR.) For instance, anaviator who was aboard a ship when it was attacked, or who tookoff or landed aboard whilethe Two graciousladies of the seo metin Boston Horbor when the schooneryacht America shipwas under attack, is eligible for mooredalongside USS ConstitutionatBoston Naval Shipyard. The schooner is o theCombat Action Ribbon. Also, a duplicate of theAmerica that beat the best of the Royal Yacht Squadron in a race pilot who ejects or is forced to land aroundthe Isle of Wight held as part of the London Exposition of 1851. This race has in NorthVietnam is eligible, wheth- become known as the ”America’sCup” in honor of the first winnerand it has been er or not he encounters enemy forces. won by on American yacht every time. However, if he is forced down tn theRepublic of Vietnam,he is eli- in uniform when uncovered. It didn’t Lighton USMC Grades gible only if he encounters or evades make much of an impression, I’m enemy forces. afraid. SIR:A Marine whoin works my of- Asyou can see fromthese ex- Am I correct about the saluting, fice recallsthat when he enlisted jn amples,the Combat Action Ribbon oris there a way the salute should 1946, the paygrade numbering sys- is not a unitaward, andit’s not a have been acknowledged?-P. R. A., tem was just the opposite of what campaignribbon for serving in-coun- Jr., LT, USNR. we have today. Inother words, says try.It is intendedto recognizean the Marine,private was paygrade individual’s involvement in hostile Under the old rules of “Navy E-9 instead of E-1. action, as dothe AirMedal and the Regs,” a handsalute by a person I find this hard to believe, since Army’sCombat Infantyman’s Badge. uncoveredwas not authorized. atthat time there were only seven -ED. Timeshave since changed. enlisted pay grades. So have the “Regs.” Can you shed any light on this?- They nowstate that Navymen (in- R. J. B., PN2. SalutingProblem Solved eluding officers), whenuncouered, willnot salute, exceptwhen failure Our friendsin the MarineCorps SIR: Upon recognizing the officer to do so wouldcause embarrassment Division of Informution tell us that bumpersticker on my car, the gate or misunderstanding.This applies to until 1949, the numbering system for guardrendered a salute. Since I theNavyman in civiliandress, as enlistedgrades was the opposite of was in civilian clothes, I did not well. usedthe one today. rank,The junior return it. Judgingfrom this, as it relates to private, was E-7. The seniorenlisted This decision was appalling to my the situation in your letter, it seem rank, muster sergeant, was grade E-1. father, an Air Force colonel, who yourdecision may have created a The Career CompensationAct of wasriding with me. He was of the bit of misunderstanding. 12 Oct 1949 reversed the numbering, opinion that as a matter of courtesy But all shouldnot be lost.placing private in gradeandE-1 I should have acknowledged the Perhaps amends can be made in a master sergeant in grade E-7, salute in some way. sincerefather and son talk during The E-8 and E-9grades did not I explained that I had been taught which youreassure Dad that father come into existence until 1 Jan 1959. thatmembers of the naval service do knows best, all thewhile keeping in If your Marine friend was a private not salute when in civilian attire or mind that bird on hisshoulder.-ED. in 1946, hisgrade was E-~.-ED.

OCTOBER 1969 61

stroyers, totaling 10 in all. Radar contact withthe enemy was made at 0140. Four of the enemy destroyers peeled off to accomplishtheir mission of landingtroops onthe island, thus confusing the issue and making more difficult the job of establishing where, and in what number, the enemy was sailing. But by 0157, Helena was ready to open fire, and began blasting away with a fire so rapid and intense that the Japanese later announced in all solemnity that she must have been armed with 6-inch machine guns. Ironically,wasit Helena’s fire whichin a sensecaused her doom, USS Helena (CL 50) for she made a perfect target when lit bythe flashes of her guns.Seven a small island about seven miles from to Guadalcanal. The 165 who were all minutes after she opened fire, she was Rice Anchorage, after a laborious all- that remained then took to the jungle, hit by a torpedo; within the next three day passage. This groupwas rescued since this was their only hope of evad- minutes, she was struck by two more. the nextmorning by uss Gwin (DD ingJapanese patrols. The first exploded near the water- 433) and Woodworth (DD 460). On Guadalcanal, the rescueprob- line betweenNo. 1 and No. 2 tur- For the second group of nearly 200, lem wascarefully studied. Seaplanes, rets. The secondstruck deepunder the bow of Helena was their liferaft. submarines, PT boats, were considered NO. 2 stack, and the thirdhit very But it was slowly sinking. Disaster and rejected, for none could take that near thesecond. Almost at onceshe wasstaved off by a Navy Liberator, many men out in one operation. Sur- beganto jackknife. Below, shewas which appearedwell after daylight face shipsit would have tobe, and flooding rapidly even before she broke anddid what it could by dropping on 15 Jul 1943, Nicholas (DD 449) up. “Abandon Ship!”was ordered, all of its life jackets, and four rubber and Radford (DD 446), augmented and Helena’s men went over the side. lifeboats, one of which sank without by Jenkins (DD 447) and O’Bannon Helena’s historycloses withthe inflating. (DD 450) setoff to sail farther up story of what happened to her men in Thewounded wereplaced aboard the Slot than ever before, screening the hours and days that followed. the remaining lifeboats, whilethe the movement of two destroyer-trans- When herbow rose into the air able-bodied surrounded the boats and ports, and four other destroyers. after the sinking, many of them clus- did their best to propel themselves In two separate pickups during the teredaround it, only tobe firedat towardnearby Kolombaranga. But night of 16 July, the rescueforce of there. About an hour and a half after the combination of the wind and cur- transports and destroyers brought out she sank, two American destroyers at rentcarried themup the Slot, ever the 165 Helena men. lustcame tothe rescue. Butbefore farther into enemy waters. Considering the rapidity with which many of the survivors could be taken Through the torturous day that fol- Helena sank, and the 11-day ordeal from the water, radar contacts in the lowed, many of thewounded died. throughwhich her survivorspassed, destroyersshowed the enemy closing Americansearch planes missed the it is surprising that so many lived to fast bothfrom northand south, and tragic little fleet, andKolombaranga fight again. Those rescued by one they chargedoff in pursuit. The en- graduallyfaded away to leeward. means or anothertotaled 739; those emy retired in the face of this opposi- Another night passed,and inthe forevermissing were 168, many of tion, and the U. S. destroyers returned morning the island of Vella Lavella whom were believed to be entombed to the men in the water. loomed ahead. The natiues were said in their ship. With the coming of light, theen- to be friendly, and it seemed the last Althoughthe awardwas created emy was in rangeonce more, and chancefor Helena’s men, so they afterher death, Helena became the again the destroyersbroke off their headed for it. At noon, an officer and first shipto receive theNavy Unit rescueoperations to pursue. An air four men of Helena’s Marine detach- Commendation. Her actions inthe attackwas the logicalnext eventon ment joined up afterbeing inthe Battles of Cape Esperance, Guadal- the program, so the destroy,ers with- water for 30 hours. canal,and Kula Gulf were named in drew for Tulagi, carrying withthem Night fell vnce more, and the boats the citation.”ED. all but about 275 of the survivors. To lost one another in the darkness. By those who remained they left four dawn,though, all three boatssaw Heavy cruiser Helena shells boats, manned by volunteers from the landonly a mile distant, andduring North Korean target in 1950. destroyers’ crews. the morning all who were left were Captain C. P. Cecil, Helena’s com- safely landed. manding officer, organized a small flo- Two coastwatchers andloyal nu- tilla of three motorwhaleboats, each tives caredfor the survivors as best towing a liferaft, to carry 88 men to they could, and radioed news of them

OCTOBER 1969 ALL HANDS ThoBureau of Nar- alPersonnel Career Publlcatlon, Is published monthly by tho Bureauof Naval Personnel for the ln- formation ondinterest ofthe naval rerviceas whole.a Issuance of thir publicationapproved in occordanca THE NAVY has come a long way in its almost 200 years-from withDepartment ofthe Navy Publica- tionsandPrinting Regulations, sail to nuclear power; from muzzle-loading cannon to missiles NAVEXOS P-35.Opinions expressed are notnecessarily those of theNavy De- portment.Reference to regulations, ordersand directives Is for information onlyand does not by publication here- inconstitute authority for action. All originalmaterial maybe reprinted os desired if propercredit is given ALL HANDS.Original articles and Informo- tionof generalinterest may be for- wordedaddressed to theEditor, ALL Hereare a few selections: HANDS,Pers Gl5, BuPers, Navy De- portment,Washington, D.C. 20370 (see below). DISTRIBUTION: By,Section B- We neverindeed lose sight for amoment of thetrue character 3202of the Bureau of Naval Personnel Monual,the Bureau di’rects that ap- of our ship. Though in no expectatidn of an enemy, the ship is propriotesteps be token to insure dis- so as to be ready for action in afew minutes and, unlessthe tribution on thebasis of one copy for weather is bad, we have every evening what is called quarters, each 10officers and enlisted personnel. TheBureau invites requests for addi- presenting all thepomp and circumstance of an expecteden- tional copies as necessary to comply gagement. The music is ordered up just beforesunset and a withthe basicdirectives. Note that dis- tributionis based onthe authorized well-known beat of thedrum summons each man to his gun. numberofmembers attached, rather Theirnames are calledby the midshipman andeach replies by thantemporary fluctuoting numbers. rapidlystating partthe assignedhim. . . . BureoushouldThe beinformed kept of changes in thenumber of copies In some of our ships, theyhave quarters in the morning as required.

well as evening, and those who go most for discipline have the TheBureau should also be advised drumbeat atunexpected moments, frequently at night. In eight if thefullnumber notis received minutes (on the average) every man must be dressed, have his regularly. hammocklashed andinthe nettings, andbe at his station, all Normally copies forNavy activities oredistributed only to thoseon the ready for a tight. , . . StandardNavy Distribution List in the expectation that suchactivities will All the men are employedduring the day. In port, ahalf- makefurther distribution os necessary; watch is called every four hours at night, but they generally are wherespecial circumstances warrant sendingdirect to sub-octivities the permitted to find acorner on the gundeck for anap and fre- Bureaushould be informed. quently they even turn into their hammocks “all standing,” that Distribution to MarineCorps person- is, with their clothes on. The officers alone are seen above. nelis effectedby theCommandant US. MarineCorps. Requests from Ma- At sea, however, the whole watch, comprising one-half of the rineActivities should be addressed to men must be on deck at night, and if the weather is stormy, no theCommondont. hammocksare piped down at all. Theyare divided into two Thismagazine is for sale,bySuperin- tendent of Documents, US. Government watches,denominated starboard and larboard. Each is called Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 every four hours and every man has his place and duty assigned himin a book called the station bill, kept in some public part Interesting story material and photographs of the ship. Thereare generallyfour such books-quarterbill, from individuals, ships, stations, squadrons station bill, tacking and veeringbill, and mooring and anchoring receivedand other is sourcescarefully are considered solicited. Allfor materialpublica- bill. Each man thus, in every case, knows just exactly where he tion. should beand what ishis dutyand, amid apparent confusion, There’s a good story in every job that’s being performed either afloat or ashore. there is alwaysperfect order. . . . The man on the scene is best qualified to The master-at-arms has charge of the prisoners; if they escape tell what’s going on in his outfit. through his neglect he must suffer in their stead. . . . Photographs veryare important, and A fewdays ago we commenced sending the men ashore in should accompany the articles if possible. However, a good storyshouId never be held parties of about 50 eachwith permission to stay afew days back for lack of photographs. ALL HANDS prefers clear, well-identified, 8-by-10 glossy and a proper sum of money to spend. They go ashore only three prints, black-and-white, and also color trans- fo u r times a times or four year. parencies. All persons in the photographs should bedressed smartly and correctly whenin uniform, and be identified by full nameand rate or rank when possible. The From the foregoing you can see there’s a big change in the photographer’s name should also be given. past seven scoreyears, particularly from the standpoint of liberty. Address material to Editor, ALL HANDS, But some things haven’t changed. Every ship is still expected Pers G15, Navy Department, Washington, D. C. 20370.

0 AT RIGHT: GOOD GUIDE-Moving up to catapultfor o launchfrom the flight deck of USS KittyHawk (CVA 63) on A-4 Sky- hawk is guidedby a flight deck crewman. -Photo byChief Journolist Jim Folk, USN.

64 ALL HANDS

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A -i, L A -A

SPEARHEAD OF THE FLEET w“MER-DESTROYER FORCE